This has to be--truly--some of the most incredible footage I have ever seen! It even puts television nature programs to shame.
Take eight minutes or so and give it a look! You won't be sorry!
Hat tip to the Hedgehog for this one.
(Aside: Incidentally, this attack apparently took place at Kruger Park, which I had the pleasure of visiting several years ago. Absolutely beautiful place and spectacular wildlife (although I did not see anything as amazing as this, to be sure). I would strongly recommend the trip for anyone.)
There's a message here for us and our youth, I believe. Several of them even. There are a lot of lions out there, and a few crocodiles. Our youth need to be protected from both, but if they're taken by one, we cannot--must not--give up hope. Sometimes we can save them ourselves. Other times, it takes the whole family. Occasionally we need to get our ecclesiastical leaders involved, who may stop by with seemingly one-half the Ward to help out. But rescue is possible.
Even more important is that our children see this video. They need to understand that rescue is possible. Even when they're pulled at in two directions by lions and crocodiles, rescue is still possible. They just need to keep fighting, keep breathing, and keep hope and faith alive.
The Horde is going to see this just as soon as I get home from the office.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Constructive Thoughts: Religious Freedom
In 1779, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom. This document is one of only three accomplishments he directed to be placed in his epitaph. Within this Act are the words: "No man... shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor... otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief...." I can imagine similar words being spoken nearly two millenia earlier.
It was at the beginning of the last century preceeding the birth of Christ. A king has heard the message brought by servants of God (Ammon, Aaron, and their brethren). He has heard the message and has been converted. He has had a mighty change of heart and has received the image of the Lord in his countenance. (See Alma 5:12-14.)
How great was this change of heart?
I can hear Jefferson's words--or something extraordinarily similar--echoing forth from the king.
Because the king was not only willing to allow these missionaries to preach in his country, he was an active proponent of religious freedom. This proclamation protected the missionaries in their work and travels. More importantly, the atmosphere in which the missionaries taught propelled their work, advanced it to the point that their work seemed to have no bounds.
Thousands upon thousands were converted. The majority of the citizens of seven lands and cities were converted. Churches were established. Priests and teachers were consecrated.
Religious freedom is an essential part of a country's Liberty. Webster's 1828 Dictionary states that "The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions." We could then add one more part to that definition, saying the soul is at liberty by obedience to the law of Christ, and "One who enjoys such liberty is, in the words of Jesus, ‘free indeed.' He is possessed of perfect liberty." (Marion G. Romney, "The Perfect Law of Liberty," Ensign, Nov. 1981 at 43 (quoting John 8:36).) The best way to obtain liberty for the soul is in an atmosphere of religious freedom. It is not the only way, as the growing conversion rates in Communist China will attest, but the works of the Lord take on greater power where the people enjoy freedom of religion.
Where are we today?
Elder M. Russell Ballard, in a talk sixteen years ago, opined that we live in "a time when citizens are forbidden to pray in public meetings; when people claim that 'you can’t legislate morality,' as if any law ever passed did not have at its heart some notion of right and wrong; when churches are called intruders when they speak out against public policy that is contrary to the commandments of God; when many people reject the correcting influence of churches if it infringes on daily living; when religion is accepted as a social organization but not as an integral part of national culture; when people bristle if representatives of churches speak in any forum except from the pulpit." {M. Russell Ballard, "Religion in a Free Society," Ensign, Oct. 1992 at 64.}
When he first gave this talk there were many who raised an eyebrow when he suggested that we now have, in all actuality, an American, state-sponsored religion: amorality. He pointed to the fact that freedom in America largely comes from the ideas and laws of man, rather than the laws of God. He points out that "Many people adhere to this concept of morality with religious zeal and fervor, and courts and legislatures tend to support it." {Id.}
He also uses the examples or pornography, drugs, illicit sex, gambling, and all forms of wickedness that are defended by invocation of constitutional privilege when, at the same time, the same constitutional privileges are denied to people of faith.
These privileges are denied out of fear: fear of lawsuits, fear of ridicule, fear of persecution.
We commonly read in an accused wrongdoer's newspaper biography about his history as a Boy Scout, a missionary, a former Sunday School teacher, active church member, or former bishop or minister.
But seldom, if ever, do we read about the wrongdoer's athiesm or the fact that he either belongs to no religious denomination or has not been an active member of his church for decades?
Religion is under attack.
It's sad that such a statement can be made in this, the shining beacon of Freedom to the world.
Religion is under attack on all sides. Witness the current Presidential race: several candidates have had their religious views questioned and broadcast to the world. Their views--whether you believe the same as they do--have been held up to scrutiny and derision. If you doubt this, take a look at this. If you still doubt, well... I'm afraid I cannot help you there.
The fact that these candidates are active in their religion and hold strong religious beliefs has been cited as criteria under which they should be disqualified from holding national office. All this despite the fact that Article VI of the Constitution of the United States guarantees that "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." But apparently there's an entire segment of the American population that cannot look forward with any hope that they would be taken seriously as a candidate for public office.
Rather than shrinking from this fight, people of faith need to stand up and be counted. They have a responsibility to ensure our God-gifted religious freedom is not taken away from us by Man. They should ignore the fear, cast aside the ridicule, and open their mouths.
They should.
We should.
We who should enjoy Religious Freedom, should uphold our right to Religious Freedom, and should spread the concept of Religious Freedom to the world.
For ourselves. For our brothers and sisters. For God. For Liberty.
**UPDATE**
I found something interesting watching the Olympic coverage tonight. Whatever you may think of him, President George W. Bush made an interesting comment. He said that he went to Church in Beijing, and spoke several times with President Hu Jin Tao. He said that he told President Hu, "Religion won't hurt you" and pressed, "Why don't you register the underground churches?"
Then there was this very deep comment: "Once religion takes hold in a society, there's no stopping it."
Amen, Mr. President.
Amen.
It was at the beginning of the last century preceeding the birth of Christ. A king has heard the message brought by servants of God (Ammon, Aaron, and their brethren). He has heard the message and has been converted. He has had a mighty change of heart and has received the image of the Lord in his countenance. (See Alma 5:12-14.)
How great was this change of heart?
1 BEHOLD, now it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation among all his people, that they should not lay their hands on Ammon, or Aaron, or Omner, or Himni, nor either of their brethren who should go forth preaching the word of God, in whatsoever place they should be, in any part of their land.
2 Yea, he sent a decree among them, that they should not lay their hands on them to bind them, or to cast them into prison; neither should they spit upon them, nor smite them, nor cast them out of their synagogues, nor scourge them; neither should they cast stones at them, but that they should have free access to their houses, and also their temples, and their sanctuaries.
3 And thus they might go forth and preach the word according to their desires, for the king had been converted unto the Lord, and all his household; therefore he sent his proclamation throughout the land unto his people, that the word of God might have no obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the land, that his people might be convinced concerning the wicked traditions of their fathers, and that they might be convinced that they were all brethren, and that they ought not to murder, nor to plunder, nor to steal, nor to commit adultery, nor to commit any manner of wickedness.
--Alma 23:1-3
I can hear Jefferson's words--or something extraordinarily similar--echoing forth from the king.
Because the king was not only willing to allow these missionaries to preach in his country, he was an active proponent of religious freedom. This proclamation protected the missionaries in their work and travels. More importantly, the atmosphere in which the missionaries taught propelled their work, advanced it to the point that their work seemed to have no bounds.
4 And now it came to pass that when the king had sent forth this proclamation, that Aaron and his brethren went forth from city to city, and from one house of worship to another, establishing churches, and consecrating priests and teachers throughout the land among the Lamanites, to preach and to teach the word of God among them; and thus they began to have great success.
5 And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, yea, thousands were brought to believe in the traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and prophecies which were handed down even to the present time.
6 And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them—yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.
7 For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren.
8 Now, these are they who were converted unto the Lord:
9 The people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Ishmael;
10 And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Middoni;
11 And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the city of Nephi;
12 And also of the people of the Lamanites who were in the land of Shilom, and who were in the land of Shemlon, and in the city of Lemuel, and in the city of Shimnilom.
--Alma 23:4-12
Thousands upon thousands were converted. The majority of the citizens of seven lands and cities were converted. Churches were established. Priests and teachers were consecrated.
Religious freedom is an essential part of a country's Liberty. Webster's 1828 Dictionary states that "The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions." We could then add one more part to that definition, saying the soul is at liberty by obedience to the law of Christ, and "One who enjoys such liberty is, in the words of Jesus, ‘free indeed.' He is possessed of perfect liberty." (Marion G. Romney, "The Perfect Law of Liberty," Ensign, Nov. 1981 at 43 (quoting John 8:36).) The best way to obtain liberty for the soul is in an atmosphere of religious freedom. It is not the only way, as the growing conversion rates in Communist China will attest, but the works of the Lord take on greater power where the people enjoy freedom of religion.
Where are we today?
Elder M. Russell Ballard, in a talk sixteen years ago, opined that we live in "a time when citizens are forbidden to pray in public meetings; when people claim that 'you can’t legislate morality,' as if any law ever passed did not have at its heart some notion of right and wrong; when churches are called intruders when they speak out against public policy that is contrary to the commandments of God; when many people reject the correcting influence of churches if it infringes on daily living; when religion is accepted as a social organization but not as an integral part of national culture; when people bristle if representatives of churches speak in any forum except from the pulpit." {M. Russell Ballard, "Religion in a Free Society," Ensign, Oct. 1992 at 64.}
When he first gave this talk there were many who raised an eyebrow when he suggested that we now have, in all actuality, an American, state-sponsored religion: amorality. He pointed to the fact that freedom in America largely comes from the ideas and laws of man, rather than the laws of God. He points out that "Many people adhere to this concept of morality with religious zeal and fervor, and courts and legislatures tend to support it." {Id.}
He also uses the examples or pornography, drugs, illicit sex, gambling, and all forms of wickedness that are defended by invocation of constitutional privilege when, at the same time, the same constitutional privileges are denied to people of faith.
These privileges are denied out of fear: fear of lawsuits, fear of ridicule, fear of persecution.
We commonly read in an accused wrongdoer's newspaper biography about his history as a Boy Scout, a missionary, a former Sunday School teacher, active church member, or former bishop or minister.
But seldom, if ever, do we read about the wrongdoer's athiesm or the fact that he either belongs to no religious denomination or has not been an active member of his church for decades?
Religion is under attack.
It's sad that such a statement can be made in this, the shining beacon of Freedom to the world.
Religion is under attack on all sides. Witness the current Presidential race: several candidates have had their religious views questioned and broadcast to the world. Their views--whether you believe the same as they do--have been held up to scrutiny and derision. If you doubt this, take a look at this. If you still doubt, well... I'm afraid I cannot help you there.
The fact that these candidates are active in their religion and hold strong religious beliefs has been cited as criteria under which they should be disqualified from holding national office. All this despite the fact that Article VI of the Constitution of the United States guarantees that "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." But apparently there's an entire segment of the American population that cannot look forward with any hope that they would be taken seriously as a candidate for public office.
Rather than shrinking from this fight, people of faith need to stand up and be counted. They have a responsibility to ensure our God-gifted religious freedom is not taken away from us by Man. They should ignore the fear, cast aside the ridicule, and open their mouths.
They should.
We should.
We who should enjoy Religious Freedom, should uphold our right to Religious Freedom, and should spread the concept of Religious Freedom to the world.
For ourselves. For our brothers and sisters. For God. For Liberty.
**UPDATE**
I found something interesting watching the Olympic coverage tonight. Whatever you may think of him, President George W. Bush made an interesting comment. He said that he went to Church in Beijing, and spoke several times with President Hu Jin Tao. He said that he told President Hu, "Religion won't hurt you" and pressed, "Why don't you register the underground churches?"
Then there was this very deep comment: "Once religion takes hold in a society, there's no stopping it."
Amen, Mr. President.
Amen.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Daddy Magic
My LW accuses me of having what she calls "Daddy Magic." (and yes, you CAN hear the initial capitals when she says it.)
Ever since our eldest was born, I have been able to soothe each of the Horde to sleep when all else fails. All it takes is a little time held in Daddy's arms and *ZONK*--out they go. It doesn't seem to matter what flavor of chaos is raging around us or how worked up the Hordeling is...Just a little taste of Daddy Magic and it's off to sleepy land.
Last night I attained an entirely new level of Paternal Wizardry.
Please, do not get me wrong. I do not want my blog to degenerate into a "what cute things my Hordelings did today"-type blog. THIS one was so funny, however, it has to be shared.
My LW had been struggling all night with our youngest Hordeling, trying to get her to sleep. We're talking one o'clock in the morning by this time. Every time my LW tries to take the little one to bed, the Hordeling's eyes pop open and she wants to get up and play.
We had reached the point in the process (this Hordeling does not go to sleep easily or early) when I reached my fatigue point, so I stood to leave the living room. Yes, that simple motion caused the Hordeling's eyes to pop open. My LW looked up at me with despair in her eyes, but said, "Go ahead and go to bed. You need to go to work tomorrow." I leaned over to give her a kiss and the Hordeling grinned up at me from her mother's arms.
So I bent over and kissed her gently on the forehead once.
When I stood up, she had closed her eyes and her breathing slowed...but as I moved, she stirred and woke.
Well, my LW thought it was funny enough that I leaned over and kissed the Hordeling again. Once. Twice. And a Third time, just for good measure. In a straight line across her forehead.
She was asleep.
Just like that.
She slept all through the night, too--something that is extraordinarily unusual for her.
Heh. Sometimes my powers amaze even me. It is a good thing I have decided to use my powers (should that be Powers?) for Good and not for Evil!
(Aside: I was tempted to title this post "Magic Lips" but upon second thought it scared me to consider the kinds of searches on which this title would get hits. Something tells me it would not be pretty.)
Ever since our eldest was born, I have been able to soothe each of the Horde to sleep when all else fails. All it takes is a little time held in Daddy's arms and *ZONK*--out they go. It doesn't seem to matter what flavor of chaos is raging around us or how worked up the Hordeling is...Just a little taste of Daddy Magic and it's off to sleepy land.
Last night I attained an entirely new level of Paternal Wizardry.
Please, do not get me wrong. I do not want my blog to degenerate into a "what cute things my Hordelings did today"-type blog. THIS one was so funny, however, it has to be shared.
My LW had been struggling all night with our youngest Hordeling, trying to get her to sleep. We're talking one o'clock in the morning by this time. Every time my LW tries to take the little one to bed, the Hordeling's eyes pop open and she wants to get up and play.
We had reached the point in the process (this Hordeling does not go to sleep easily or early) when I reached my fatigue point, so I stood to leave the living room. Yes, that simple motion caused the Hordeling's eyes to pop open. My LW looked up at me with despair in her eyes, but said, "Go ahead and go to bed. You need to go to work tomorrow." I leaned over to give her a kiss and the Hordeling grinned up at me from her mother's arms.
So I bent over and kissed her gently on the forehead once.
When I stood up, she had closed her eyes and her breathing slowed...but as I moved, she stirred and woke.
Well, my LW thought it was funny enough that I leaned over and kissed the Hordeling again. Once. Twice. And a Third time, just for good measure. In a straight line across her forehead.
She was asleep.
Just like that.
She slept all through the night, too--something that is extraordinarily unusual for her.
Heh. Sometimes my powers amaze even me. It is a good thing I have decided to use my powers (should that be Powers?) for Good and not for Evil!
(Aside: I was tempted to title this post "Magic Lips" but upon second thought it scared me to consider the kinds of searches on which this title would get hits. Something tells me it would not be pretty.)
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
If "stupid" was illegal...
What is wrong with people?!?
Are there that many people who simply do not grasp the reason behind the "9-1-1" service?
First we have the guy last week who calls 9-1-1 because his Subway sandwich wasn't made correctly; they left off the sauce, apparently.
Yeah. Then he calls 9-1-1 back to complain that the officers were not showing up quickly enough for his liking.
Then we have this story.
Can you say "Unclear on the concept"?
Y'know...there's a reason that casinos do not subject patrons to an intelligence test before allowing them togive away their money gamble.
That slot machine stole all his money, after all.
Are there that many people who simply do not grasp the reason behind the "9-1-1" service?
First we have the guy last week who calls 9-1-1 because his Subway sandwich wasn't made correctly; they left off the sauce, apparently.
Yeah. Then he calls 9-1-1 back to complain that the officers were not showing up quickly enough for his liking.
Then we have this story.
47-year-old Carlos Gutierrez was at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino early Monday and called 911 to say the slot machine stole his money. The report says Gutierrez left the casino to place a second 911 call to say the same thing.Two phone calls. Two. And all because that evil thieving slot machine stole his money.
Can you say "Unclear on the concept"?
Y'know...there's a reason that casinos do not subject patrons to an intelligence test before allowing them to
He was arrested and charged with making a false 911 call. He's being held with no bail set.It was a good thing he was held without bail.
That slot machine stole all his money, after all.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Constructive Thoughts: Fatherhood, Pt. 2
I think I am a hero to my boys today.
I cannot quite get them to articulate it, but I'm getting the feeling of increased adoration.
You see, I took them camping this weekend. Just the Boys. None of those icky girl-folk around. Just Men, both aging and pre-pubescent.
I am still suffering for it, but it was definitely worth it to see the sparkle in their eyes.
I was doing some more thinking last week about my father. There will be some regrets when he passes, unfortunately. Hopefully not as many as there could have been, because I am trying to rectify some of the lost time. There are some things, however, that time has effectively stolen from me.
I will look back and see times when I was too "busy" or too "proud" (or too "bored") to do things with my father. I will also look back and see a few times when he was too "busy" to do something. Not many, but a few.
Camping is one of those things.
I never got to do a lot of real tent-camping with my father. Most of what I learned about tent-camping was as a Boy Scout. The sad thing is that my father has a lot he could have shared with me. He underwent rigorous survival training when he was in the Service. He grew up around some of the best Scouts I've ever known in my Grandfather and uncles.
I have never really benefitted from any of that knowledge.
You'll remember as I wrote last week that the one time he went to Scout Camp with me I was embarrassed by how he lectured us all on the finer points of something-or-other. Yeah, as I said, not one of my prouder moments.
Anyway, as I was sitting and thinking all these wonderfully depressing thoughts last week, I remembered a Church magazine article I read just before I graduated from high school. It may have been the Ensign or the New Era, I cannot remember exactly. I wish I could remember the author. What I remember is the image: the author said something to the effect of "picture a man and his sons as they walk to their tents, sharing feelings and memories." I remember the gist of it, because I remember being a senior in high school and thinking: That's something I've never experienced with Father.
Even "Fathers and Sons" outings were missed, as they were always held "too far away." I've never been to one. Not one.
Don't get me wrong: I clearly own a good portion of the blame, maybe even most of the blame. When I was younger, I was an ungrateful snot at times. I lacked the vision I have now and didn't realize what I would miss when he was gone. I am not proud of any of it and I will reap the whirlwind some day.
All that being said, I decided last week that I was going to surprise my boys. I used that surprise as leverage to buy their good attitudes and behavior for their poor mother all week long. When Friday's lunchtime rolled around, there was some doubt as to whether my oldest son would be joining us. Let's just say he wasn't honoring his mother or siblings to the level that I would expect him to do.
I overruled his mother, however, and raced home from the office to throw the bare necessities into the van. The small tent went in. Duffel bags for the boys. A few books for bedtime reading for Dad. The Coleman lantern and a couple flashlights. The food I took was already prepared and wouldn't take much time to get ready to eat.
That was it.
My LW and the rest of the Horde were jealous, but it was Just The Boys. I loaded them up and we headed to a nearby park that allows camping along some backwoods jogging trails.
And my boys got to experience what I never did. Walking at sunset from the restrooms the quarter-mile or so back to our tents, all of us with our arms around each other. We talked about the sunset, the burgeoning dark and slowly-appearing stars. As we sat in the small tent on the slowly leaking queen-size mattress we spoke of the day's experiences and ended with a prayer to our Heavenly Father.
Of course, Dad couldn't sleep: I tried to do some writing, but from the lantern-light my youngest inferred that it was now playtime. Reading was out for the same reason. So there I lay, playing a stupid game on my cell-phone in the dark, listening to my boys snoring. Laying in an over-crowded tent on an unseasonably warm summer night with my boys' random limbs draped over my legs, back, and head. There was no breeze to relieve and all the day's heat was trapped in the tent. I was miserable.
But I was happy.
And so were they.
In the August 2008 Ensign President Thomas S. Monson prays, "May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business...." As I read the Ensign on Sunday that line jumped out at me. Good, timely counsel from the Prophet.
Ours wasn't a long camping trip. We weren't even that far from home. We did some walking, but otherwise just killed some time sitting and talking. It wasn't anything fancy.
I am afraid that I will have some regrets. But after this weekend, I am hoping there will be fewer regrets than there could have been.
It wasn't a long camping trip. But it was a good one, a special one.
Just the kind I wish I could share with my Father.
Just once more.
I cannot quite get them to articulate it, but I'm getting the feeling of increased adoration.
You see, I took them camping this weekend. Just the Boys. None of those icky girl-folk around. Just Men, both aging and pre-pubescent.
I am still suffering for it, but it was definitely worth it to see the sparkle in their eyes.
I was doing some more thinking last week about my father. There will be some regrets when he passes, unfortunately. Hopefully not as many as there could have been, because I am trying to rectify some of the lost time. There are some things, however, that time has effectively stolen from me.
I will look back and see times when I was too "busy" or too "proud" (or too "bored") to do things with my father. I will also look back and see a few times when he was too "busy" to do something. Not many, but a few.
Camping is one of those things.
I never got to do a lot of real tent-camping with my father. Most of what I learned about tent-camping was as a Boy Scout. The sad thing is that my father has a lot he could have shared with me. He underwent rigorous survival training when he was in the Service. He grew up around some of the best Scouts I've ever known in my Grandfather and uncles.
I have never really benefitted from any of that knowledge.
You'll remember as I wrote last week that the one time he went to Scout Camp with me I was embarrassed by how he lectured us all on the finer points of something-or-other. Yeah, as I said, not one of my prouder moments.
Anyway, as I was sitting and thinking all these wonderfully depressing thoughts last week, I remembered a Church magazine article I read just before I graduated from high school. It may have been the Ensign or the New Era, I cannot remember exactly. I wish I could remember the author. What I remember is the image: the author said something to the effect of "picture a man and his sons as they walk to their tents, sharing feelings and memories." I remember the gist of it, because I remember being a senior in high school and thinking: That's something I've never experienced with Father.
Even "Fathers and Sons" outings were missed, as they were always held "too far away." I've never been to one. Not one.
Don't get me wrong: I clearly own a good portion of the blame, maybe even most of the blame. When I was younger, I was an ungrateful snot at times. I lacked the vision I have now and didn't realize what I would miss when he was gone. I am not proud of any of it and I will reap the whirlwind some day.
All that being said, I decided last week that I was going to surprise my boys. I used that surprise as leverage to buy their good attitudes and behavior for their poor mother all week long. When Friday's lunchtime rolled around, there was some doubt as to whether my oldest son would be joining us. Let's just say he wasn't honoring his mother or siblings to the level that I would expect him to do.
I overruled his mother, however, and raced home from the office to throw the bare necessities into the van. The small tent went in. Duffel bags for the boys. A few books for bedtime reading for Dad. The Coleman lantern and a couple flashlights. The food I took was already prepared and wouldn't take much time to get ready to eat.
That was it.
My LW and the rest of the Horde were jealous, but it was Just The Boys. I loaded them up and we headed to a nearby park that allows camping along some backwoods jogging trails.
And my boys got to experience what I never did. Walking at sunset from the restrooms the quarter-mile or so back to our tents, all of us with our arms around each other. We talked about the sunset, the burgeoning dark and slowly-appearing stars. As we sat in the small tent on the slowly leaking queen-size mattress we spoke of the day's experiences and ended with a prayer to our Heavenly Father.
Of course, Dad couldn't sleep: I tried to do some writing, but from the lantern-light my youngest inferred that it was now playtime. Reading was out for the same reason. So there I lay, playing a stupid game on my cell-phone in the dark, listening to my boys snoring. Laying in an over-crowded tent on an unseasonably warm summer night with my boys' random limbs draped over my legs, back, and head. There was no breeze to relieve and all the day's heat was trapped in the tent. I was miserable.
But I was happy.
And so were they.
In the August 2008 Ensign President Thomas S. Monson prays, "May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business...." As I read the Ensign on Sunday that line jumped out at me. Good, timely counsel from the Prophet.
Ours wasn't a long camping trip. We weren't even that far from home. We did some walking, but otherwise just killed some time sitting and talking. It wasn't anything fancy.
I am afraid that I will have some regrets. But after this weekend, I am hoping there will be fewer regrets than there could have been.
It wasn't a long camping trip. But it was a good one, a special one.
Just the kind I wish I could share with my Father.
Just once more.
NEA's ABCs
Last week I discussed the National Education Association's annual declaration of deals with the devil positions and resolutions. At the time, I mentioned that the NEA has their own "A-B-C-Ds."
That got me thinking.
I went through their 2008 list of resolutions and have been able to cull out an almost-complete representative list of their ABCs.
Now, I should point out up front that on some of these items, I do not necessarily disagree with the stance in general. Where I have a problem is that none of these things need to be taught to our Elementary age students in school. With me it all comes back to "the 3 Rs." Should not teachers and educators be more focused on teaching the basics rather than pushing "social" agendas? These resolutions become the authorized issues for which NEA members can lobby Congress and state legislatures.
Aside: I had difficulty with a few of these and I'll admit to having to stretch for a couple of these. All in all, though, I'm happy with what's here.
Drop me a post in the Comments if you have any suggested changes. If you want to read the resolutions for yourself, here is the link. Be forewarned: it's a hefty document.
That got me thinking.
I went through their 2008 list of resolutions and have been able to cull out an almost-complete representative list of their ABCs.
Now, I should point out up front that on some of these items, I do not necessarily disagree with the stance in general. Where I have a problem is that none of these things need to be taught to our Elementary age students in school. With me it all comes back to "the 3 Rs." Should not teachers and educators be more focused on teaching the basics rather than pushing "social" agendas? These resolutions become the authorized issues for which NEA members can lobby Congress and state legislatures.
Aside: I had difficulty with a few of these and I'll admit to having to stretch for a couple of these. All in all, though, I'm happy with what's here.
Drop me a post in the Comments if you have any suggested changes. If you want to read the resolutions for yourself, here is the link. Be forewarned: it's a hefty document.
A is for Abortion(One last aside: 'progressive socialism' may be somewhat redundant, but I hope you'll forgive me.)
B is for Birth control
C is for Care of the mentally ill
D is for Diversity
E is for Equal rights amendment
F is for Firearm control
G is for Global warming
H is for Homosexual agenda
I is for International courts
J is for Judgment over dispensing prescribed medications
K is for Kindergarten, pre-school, and pre-pre-school (mandatory)
L is for Land use and preservation
M is for Medicare
N is for National energy policy
O is for One world government
P is for Progressive socialism
Q is for Qur'an=good; Bible=bad
R is for Reparations for descendants of slavery
S is for State-licensed, state-approved homeschooling
T is for Traffic safety
U is for Unionization
V is for Verifiable freeze of nuclear weapons
W is for Washington, DC statehood
X is for X-rated sex education
Y is for Youth education regarding world hunger
Z is for Zero tolerance for alternative schooling
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
This is why I Homeschool
There are a lot of reasons why my LW and I decided to Homeschool the Horde.
Incurring additional debt by purchasing curricula was not one of them.
Having a cluttered home was not one of them.
Forcing my LW to have no eight hours a day, nine months "down-time" a year was not one of them.
But every year, the National Education Association reminds me of a long, long list of reasons. They just did it again.
Here is the original article.
Aside: for those who are unaware, the NEA is the largest teachers union in the USA. They are the 900-pound gorilla that sits in judgment upon all who dare question so-called Public Education. (And believe me, some of them really ARE 900-pound gorillas. But I digress.)
A few weeks ago, the NEA held their annual national convention. Every year as part of this convention they spend time passing resolutions, as well as preparing their platform of ideals and official policies. One would assume that these resolutions, ideals, and policies dealt with public education and the education of our children.
One would be so wrong as to not be able to even see the Light of correctness from where one stood.
The first line of the article gives you a pretty good idea of the attendees' attitudes: "Delegates sported buttons with provocative slogans such as 'Gay marriage causes Global Warming only because we are so hot!,' 'Hate is not a family value,' 'The "Christian Right" is neither' and 'Gay Rights are civil rights.'"
Yep.
It all went downhill from there.
You see, the NEA truly desires diversity. Which one would assume to be a good thing, except when you consider that all "diversity" means is "pro-homosexual." That's it. Sexual orientation and so-called "gender identification" are now discussions for pre-schoolers.
Thats right, I said pre-schoolers. Fingerpaints, graham crackers, and why Billy has two daddies.
"But wait!" I hear you say. "These issues are related to education."
Oh really? It's necessary to teach my children about homosexuality before they can read?
What would Mr. Chips say?
Need more convincing? How about supporting statehood for the District of Columbia? Urging support for and ratification of the International Criminal Court Treaty? Gun control? How about "the right to reproductive freedom," and "the use of nonsexist language"?
Or this little gem from the article: "The NEA even urges its affiliates to work for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment." The article's author points out that the "ERA was declared dead by the U.S. Supreme Court 26 years ago."
Not that all the above-described Socialist sputum and progressive pap does not offend me. Far from it. But the position I take as a personal attack on my freedoms is the vitriolic opposition the NEA puts forth against ANY form of competition posed toward public schools.
Vouchers? Racist.
Tax credits? Nope.
Homeschoolers? Uneducated hicks with no training teaching their own children? No freakin' way. (You never know, after all, the kinds of things they may be teaching their children. They may even use [gasp] THE BIBLE as a textbook!)
the state Big Brother The State.
It doesn't stop there, either.
What is wrong with these people? Why and how are they getting away with espousing and teaching our children things with which, honestly, the majority of American citizens disagree.
What's wrong with them? That's an entire blog entry in itself. (Aside: briefly put, I would not argue with mental illness. I would also not argue with Evil. (and yes, that's "Evil" with a capital "E.")) Why and how are they doing it? Putting aside the "what's wrong" question for a moment, I think they have been given free reign for so long that they have completely lost sight of what they are about.
Remember the "3 R's"? Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic? They are no more.
Abortion, Birth Control, and Diversity are the new "A-B-C-D's."
When is society going to wake up and take our children back? They are OUR children after all, not The State's. When will it be too late?
I suspect we are getting close to the tipping point right now.
Look, I don't really care whether you agree with Homeschooling or not. I recognize your right to choose how to educate your child. But please whatever you choose, choose well. And know what it is you're choosing. Don't just accept it simply because accepting it is simple. In essence, it goes to your children's Liberty.
Remember: once something is put into these empty little vessels, it is very hard--if not impossible--to get that something out again.
And believe me, the other side knows that.
That's what they are counting on to survive.
Incurring additional debt by purchasing curricula was not one of them.
Having a cluttered home was not one of them.
Forcing my LW to have no eight hours a day, nine months "down-time" a year was not one of them.
But every year, the National Education Association reminds me of a long, long list of reasons. They just did it again.
Here is the original article.
Aside: for those who are unaware, the NEA is the largest teachers union in the USA. They are the 900-pound gorilla that sits in judgment upon all who dare question so-called Public Education. (And believe me, some of them really ARE 900-pound gorillas. But I digress.)
A few weeks ago, the NEA held their annual national convention. Every year as part of this convention they spend time passing resolutions, as well as preparing their platform of ideals and official policies. One would assume that these resolutions, ideals, and policies dealt with public education and the education of our children.
One would be so wrong as to not be able to even see the Light of correctness from where one stood.
The first line of the article gives you a pretty good idea of the attendees' attitudes: "Delegates sported buttons with provocative slogans such as 'Gay marriage causes Global Warming only because we are so hot!,' 'Hate is not a family value,' 'The "Christian Right" is neither' and 'Gay Rights are civil rights.'"
Yep.
It all went downhill from there.
You see, the NEA truly desires diversity. Which one would assume to be a good thing, except when you consider that all "diversity" means is "pro-homosexual." That's it. Sexual orientation and so-called "gender identification" are now discussions for pre-schoolers.
Thats right, I said pre-schoolers. Fingerpaints, graham crackers, and why Billy has two daddies.
"But wait!" I hear you say. "These issues are related to education."
Oh really? It's necessary to teach my children about homosexuality before they can read?
What would Mr. Chips say?
Need more convincing? How about supporting statehood for the District of Columbia? Urging support for and ratification of the International Criminal Court Treaty? Gun control? How about "the right to reproductive freedom," and "the use of nonsexist language"?
Or this little gem from the article: "The NEA even urges its affiliates to work for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment." The article's author points out that the "ERA was declared dead by the U.S. Supreme Court 26 years ago."
Not that all the above-described Socialist sputum and progressive pap does not offend me. Far from it. But the position I take as a personal attack on my freedoms is the vitriolic opposition the NEA puts forth against ANY form of competition posed toward public schools.
Vouchers? Racist.
Tax credits? Nope.
Homeschoolers? Uneducated hicks with no training teaching their own children? No freakin' way. (You never know, after all, the kinds of things they may be teaching their children. They may even use [gasp] THE BIBLE as a textbook!)
The NEA opposes homeschooling unless children are taught by state-licensed teachers using a state-approved curriculum. The NEA wants to bar homeschooled students from participating in any extracurricular activities in public schools even though their parents pay school taxes.That's right, boys and girls. A parent no longer has the capacity to know what is best for their child/children unless they are trained by
It doesn't stop there, either.
The NEA wants every child, regardless of age, to have “direct and confidential access, without notification to parents, to comprehensive health education. That would include things such as learning how to use condoms for premarital sex, as well as social and psychological programs and services.”Did you catch the key phrases? "without notification to parents" and "regardless of age."
The NEA wants public schools to take over the physical and mental care of students through school clinics that provide services, diagnosis, treatment, family-planning counseling, and access to birth control methods “with instruction in their use.” Family planning clinics are called on to “provide intensive counseling.”
What is wrong with these people? Why and how are they getting away with espousing and teaching our children things with which, honestly, the majority of American citizens disagree.
What's wrong with them? That's an entire blog entry in itself. (Aside: briefly put, I would not argue with mental illness. I would also not argue with Evil. (and yes, that's "Evil" with a capital "E.")) Why and how are they doing it? Putting aside the "what's wrong" question for a moment, I think they have been given free reign for so long that they have completely lost sight of what they are about.
Remember the "3 R's"? Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic? They are no more.
Abortion, Birth Control, and Diversity are the new "A-B-C-D's."
When is society going to wake up and take our children back? They are OUR children after all, not The State's. When will it be too late?
I suspect we are getting close to the tipping point right now.
Look, I don't really care whether you agree with Homeschooling or not. I recognize your right to choose how to educate your child. But please whatever you choose, choose well. And know what it is you're choosing. Don't just accept it simply because accepting it is simple. In essence, it goes to your children's Liberty.
Remember: once something is put into these empty little vessels, it is very hard--if not impossible--to get that something out again.
And believe me, the other side knows that.
That's what they are counting on to survive.
More IQ
OK. I feel even smarter.
Unfortunately, this test did not provide the answers to the questions, so I have no idea which ones I may have missed. I have a pretty good idea, because at least one made absolutely no sense to me, and I think I may have overthought another one.
But that doesn't matter, because I have been certified a Universal Genius!
Now... When do you suppose I get my plaque and certificate? Hmm?
Unfortunately, this test did not provide the answers to the questions, so I have no idea which ones I may have missed. I have a pretty good idea, because at least one made absolutely no sense to me, and I think I may have overthought another one.
But that doesn't matter, because I have been certified a Universal Genius!
Now... When do you suppose I get my plaque and certificate? Hmm?
Monday, July 28, 2008
For the thousandth time.....
So I was at a Creditor's Meeting today.
Aside: for the uninitiated, when you file a bankruptcy you must attend a hearing to which all your creditors are invited to attend and ask random questions or generally vent their spleen at you. Oh yes, the Trustee overseeing your case is also there to grill you and your attorney about minutiae and miscellaneous errors. Except very few creditors come.
I use the same spiel with every client at these hearings. I have my own little set script that tells them all the things I want them to know and the things that they are not to do, et cetera. One of the things I tell them is that while they are in their Chapter 13 bankruptcy, they are not to buy anything (particularly big ticket items), they are not to sell anything, and they are not to take out any new loans. Any of these type of transactions require court permission, which can be very difficult to obtain in some circumstances.
Pretty clear to understand, right?
So, after delivering this information, one of my clients says: "I have a big Dodge pickup and I really don't like the mileage it gets and I would really like to trade it in and get a new car that gets better gas mileage because in this economy I really can't afford to drive the big truck and everyone is selling off their big trucks and getting rid of their SUVs and pickups because they can't afford the gas."
OK. This wasn't exactly what he said, but a more grammatically-correct translation of what he said. But the feeling is there.
I literally believe my mouth dropped open. Physically. I'm really pretty sure it did. At least, it took me several seconds to form a response to him.
What came out was this:
Ummmm. No. You CANNOT do that. You would be breaking the law three times if you did that. Three times. That would be Federal Law. FEDERAL. First, you would break the law by trading in the truck--you would essentially be selling that car and as I just said you cannot do that without court permission. Second, you would break the law by agreeing to purchase a new car and as I just said you cannot do that without court permission. Third, you would break the law by taking out a new loan to purchase the new car and as I just said you cannot do that without court permission. You cannot do this. Period. If you want to get rid of the truck, now is the time to tell me and we'll give it back through the bankruptcy and then you can buy a beater for $250. But no, you cannot trade in the truck, you cannot buy a new car, and you cannot take out a loan on a new car.
His response: "Well, I don't want to get rid of it because I need transportation. I just can't afford to put gas in it. So it just sits. That's why I was asking. And everyone I know is getting rid of their trucks. So that's why. But I don't want to give it up."
I need transportation but cannot put gas in it but I don't want to give it up.
I wanted to yell at him to just give up the car and go buy an engine on wheels with the $250 he was going to save putting gas in his truck this month.
I really wanted to say that.
I SO wanted to.
But in the interest of good client relations, all I said was: "Hmm.... Well, just remember what I told you." All while shaking my head.
I'm still shaking it, but not in disagreement...
...but disbelief.
Aside: for the uninitiated, when you file a bankruptcy you must attend a hearing to which all your creditors are invited to attend and ask random questions or generally vent their spleen at you. Oh yes, the Trustee overseeing your case is also there to grill you and your attorney about minutiae and miscellaneous errors. Except very few creditors come.
I use the same spiel with every client at these hearings. I have my own little set script that tells them all the things I want them to know and the things that they are not to do, et cetera. One of the things I tell them is that while they are in their Chapter 13 bankruptcy, they are not to buy anything (particularly big ticket items), they are not to sell anything, and they are not to take out any new loans. Any of these type of transactions require court permission, which can be very difficult to obtain in some circumstances.
Pretty clear to understand, right?
So, after delivering this information, one of my clients says: "I have a big Dodge pickup and I really don't like the mileage it gets and I would really like to trade it in and get a new car that gets better gas mileage because in this economy I really can't afford to drive the big truck and everyone is selling off their big trucks and getting rid of their SUVs and pickups because they can't afford the gas."
OK. This wasn't exactly what he said, but a more grammatically-correct translation of what he said. But the feeling is there.
I literally believe my mouth dropped open. Physically. I'm really pretty sure it did. At least, it took me several seconds to form a response to him.
What came out was this:
Ummmm. No. You CANNOT do that. You would be breaking the law three times if you did that. Three times. That would be Federal Law. FEDERAL. First, you would break the law by trading in the truck--you would essentially be selling that car and as I just said you cannot do that without court permission. Second, you would break the law by agreeing to purchase a new car and as I just said you cannot do that without court permission. Third, you would break the law by taking out a new loan to purchase the new car and as I just said you cannot do that without court permission. You cannot do this. Period. If you want to get rid of the truck, now is the time to tell me and we'll give it back through the bankruptcy and then you can buy a beater for $250. But no, you cannot trade in the truck, you cannot buy a new car, and you cannot take out a loan on a new car.
His response: "Well, I don't want to get rid of it because I need transportation. I just can't afford to put gas in it. So it just sits. That's why I was asking. And everyone I know is getting rid of their trucks. So that's why. But I don't want to give it up."
I need transportation but cannot put gas in it but I don't want to give it up.
I wanted to yell at him to just give up the car and go buy an engine on wheels with the $250 he was going to save putting gas in his truck this month.
I really wanted to say that.
I SO wanted to.
But in the interest of good client relations, all I said was: "Hmm.... Well, just remember what I told you." All while shaking my head.
I'm still shaking it, but not in disagreement...
...but disbelief.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Constructive Thoughts: Dad
I've had a difficult weekend.
I learned my father has cancer.
He has been fighting benign bladder tumors for several years, but they've not been serious.
Now he has cancer. Prostate cancer.
They're not going to operate, because the physicians figure it would only buy fifteen years, and my father is old enough that they don't expect he has fifteen years anyway.
That's a nice bedside manner, eh?
It has not metastasized, so that's a bit of good news.
As good as it can be, I suppose. Needless to say, it's been tough to concentrate on anything else this weekend. Watching him hold my six-month-old in his arms just minutes after reassuring me of his mortality was nearly more than I could take. The question popped into my mind: would she ever know him, remember him?
I don't know how even to begin putting into words my memories of the stories of and experiences with my father.
Some of my fondest memories of Dad center around the little black-and-white television that stood in Mother and Dad's bedroom for so long, perched precariously upon the little, rickety television stand. The tear-streaked, red, laughing face that always appeared following Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal's race through the streets of San Francisco. Michael Douglas and bulbous-nosed Karl Malden racing through the Streets of San Francisco. There was F.B.I. and Hawaii Five-O. And of course, M*A*S*H*. Nothing (other than What's Up Doc?) would make Dad roar with laughter like Hawkeye's antics or Frank Burns' buffoonery. I didn't always understand the joke, or what was going on in the show, but just to see that twinkle in Dad's eyes was something special.
Dad would get that same twinkle in his eye when he had the opportunity to tease. He loved to tell stories in front of my grandmother about her and my grandfather. I'll never forget how he would tease my siblings' dates and spouses. It was never mean or hurtful; he always knew how far to go and how to do it with love. Dad could also take it well as he could dish it out.
There were the years and years of University of Utah football--Dad's alma mater--that just seemed to end in misery, with Dad frustrated, yelling, and pounding his open hand on the bedspread, and the inevitable gloating telephone call from his brother after every BYU win.(Aside: Of course, now when I do the same thing watching the Utes or the Utah Jazz, it has somehow become "just a game" and I'm told to settle down and just enjoy.) Dad eventually got his fair share of gloating telephone calls in . . . but Dad's brother wasn't nearly as good a sport about getting the calls as he was about making them! Then there were the late nights at the local college watching basketball, while eating smuggled-in popcorn and sodas out of Mother's big white purse--that Dad inevitably ended up carrying into the building.
Dad would also be the one to carry the purse into movies--it was a giant purse, usually filled with home-popped popcorn in supermarket produce sacks and illicit canned sodas. The movies? They were movies such as the interminable Gandhi, Chariots of Fire, and King David experiences. Dad was always trying to broaden my horizons like that--we never seemed to go to thegood "fun" movies that I wanted to see, or do the "fun" things that I wanted to do. Instead, it was hours and hours of boredom while we went around on odd jobs while he was unemployed. I can still remember the heat and the boredom--I was never allowed to take a book or any toys, except for a large, plastic, yellow model of a Honda Civic. There were also the (seeming) hours of travel to visit family, or to after-hours business meetings. Traveling to and from anywhere seemed like forever when reading in the car was forbidden.
But Dad made up for those times by introducing me to the dean of science fiction, Robert Heinlein, and to Martin Caidin, and to David Morrell--authors whose names my classmates seldom, if ever, recognized. It was Dad to whom I could turn to discuss books, although it will forever baffle me how his taste in books could be so broad, from Burroughs to Heinlein, from Clancy to L'Amour, but he could never stomach for a moment anything fantasy-related. "Why should I read about something that never happened and never could happen?" he would ask me. "It's just fantasy." The argument would frustrate me and I would simply let it die. Someday I hope to find a fantasy novel that he will read and enjoy . . . Someday.
Dad was forever trying to bring my head out of the clouds. Somehow, it was always he who would assist me with my math homework. He would get so livid at my inability to retain the quadratic formula or simple mathematic definitions, while being able to recite trivia ad nauseam. Sometimes I wonder whether, subconsciously, I did it on purpose, just to harass him. Years later, when I first read David Copperfield, I felt that I could relate in some small way to the terror and anguish young David felt when reciting his lessons (or attempting to) to his step-father. While Dad was never that harsh or brutal, the circumstances were similar--I could never keep the figures in my mind, but would soon find myself thinking about the crack in the wall, or the book I was reading, or anything but my homework. Dad would just get more and more upset. He would pound the table and drill me until I cried, but somehow the numbers would slip away; the more he pounded, the faster the numbers would fly. Inevitably, there would come a point where the futility was apparent and one (or both) of us would flee the table to find sanctuary elsewhere.
I know Dad tried so hard because he loved me. I can see that now; with the benefit of time and the aid of fatherhood, I can see many things more clearly, and I'm grateful for the patience that he showed in trying to teach me. I am grateful for the love he showed in trying to teach me, and for the quiet pride--and the sometimes not-so-quiet pride--he would show at my accomplishments: the first time I ever directed the music in Priesthood Meeting; the first time I ever water-skied; the first time I trailered the boat by myself; the first time I ever backed the trailer down the ramp, or parked the van and trailer; high school, college, and law school graduations; the look--and tears--in his eyes as I boarded the plane for my mission.
However, the feelings of pride are not one-sided. Dad likely does not know the pride I have for him, and the esteem in which I hold him. For example: the years as a Gospel Doctrine teacher, the dedication, knowledge, and spirit he could bring to bear on a given Sunday; the feeling of seeing him lead the congregation in song for many years; the dedication to the service, and the endurance that the many hours of long flights and lonely vigils that flying involved; the firm, quiet testimony he would sometimes stand and bear; hearing my voice blend with his on Sunday, singing hymns; the strength and knowledge in his hands as he would perform some simple chore or repair; and the love with which he has always looked at Mother.
As time goes by, I regret more and more the years I have wasted when I could have been learning from Dad. All those years, complaining about yard work, or helping Dad with the car, plumbing, or other odd jobs; I could have learned so much. Instead, I did as little work as possible--always excusing it with schoolwork, or reading, or any available excuse. When I did help, it was grudgingly, never thinking for a moment that any of what I was being asked to do, or what I could have done, would ever benefit me in my life in any way. Putting it in print even now embarrasses me beyond belief. I remember Dad spending his time to come to summer camp with the Scout troop one year. I am mortified now to think of how embarrassed I was to have my Dad there, lecturing to my buddies and taking them to task. Or at family reunions when I was too concerned about my own activities and pleasure to listen to and learn from Dad the stories of my heritage. Or the plethora of times I was too annoyed to listen to the lectures and the lessons he was trying to teach me.
I see now that I spent too long blinded by my youth to recognize the storehouse of knowledge that is Dad. If I was ever to tell him that I consider him such, he would pass it off as vain praise, but to me it is a statement of truth. Dad worked so hard with me as a Scout to learn knot-tying; to this day, I have to struggle to remember a simple square knot--anything more complex is beyond my abilities. He struggled to get me to achieve my Citizenship merit badges; how much that knowledge could have helped me in school classes if I had bothered to learn it! (Aside: "Learn it" rather than "know it long enough to pass off the merit badge.") There is so much I could have learned from him as a child that would have enriched my life and helped me to grow. Instead, I was too "busy" and just didn't care--there would always be another time, after all. In retrospect, I wonder just how much my inattention and my uncaring attitude hurt Dad. I know that it did, and hope that I can make up for that injury someday, somehow.
As I look back, I am amazed at how Dad's work troubles never seemed to impact the family, at least not that I ever saw. He was able to separate his professional and family lives, and not let the stress of daily life interfere with his time with his wife and children. He was always able to provide a wonderful Christmas or birthday for us, and he always had a little something--usually a Matchbox car (in the old cardboard box) and a packet of airline peanuts--tucked away in his suitcase every time he came home from a trip. Those little gifts always made me feel so special, showing me that he had he had thought about me and missed me while he was away.
More recently, it has been a joy to grow closer to Dad as an adult friend. The rapport I feel and the snippets of telephone conversations we have back and forth while watching Everybody Loves Raymond or a particularly gritty NBA game ("Where was the foul?!") are priceless and important to me. So is being able to discuss the gospel with one another and to be taught by his example, or having someone there to whom I can turn for advice. Most importantly, as one who was not able to fully experience the joys of vital and vigorous grandparents, it is touching beyond words to see the expressions of love and the level of devotion that Dad shows my children. In some ways, I am able to imagine what it would have been like for me to have the opportunity to truly know my grandparents, and can vicariously enjoy the thrills, joys, and love that my children feel for their grandfather.
I can only hope that, one day, I can be as good a grandfather as he has been to the Horde. I only hope that I can be as good a father-in-law to my children's future spouses as he has been to his. I can only hope that I can be as good a father to my children as he has been to his.
I'm going to jealously guard every moment I have with him. Hoard every snippet of family lore I can gather. Glean every bit of life-knowledge from him that I can. Ask for his advice while I can get it.
Make him proud of me.
And love him while I can.
I love you, Dad.
I learned my father has cancer.
He has been fighting benign bladder tumors for several years, but they've not been serious.
Now he has cancer. Prostate cancer.
They're not going to operate, because the physicians figure it would only buy fifteen years, and my father is old enough that they don't expect he has fifteen years anyway.
That's a nice bedside manner, eh?
It has not metastasized, so that's a bit of good news.
As good as it can be, I suppose. Needless to say, it's been tough to concentrate on anything else this weekend. Watching him hold my six-month-old in his arms just minutes after reassuring me of his mortality was nearly more than I could take. The question popped into my mind: would she ever know him, remember him?
I don't know how even to begin putting into words my memories of the stories of and experiences with my father.
Some of my fondest memories of Dad center around the little black-and-white television that stood in Mother and Dad's bedroom for so long, perched precariously upon the little, rickety television stand. The tear-streaked, red, laughing face that always appeared following Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal's race through the streets of San Francisco. Michael Douglas and bulbous-nosed Karl Malden racing through the Streets of San Francisco. There was F.B.I. and Hawaii Five-O. And of course, M*A*S*H*. Nothing (other than What's Up Doc?) would make Dad roar with laughter like Hawkeye's antics or Frank Burns' buffoonery. I didn't always understand the joke, or what was going on in the show, but just to see that twinkle in Dad's eyes was something special.
Dad would get that same twinkle in his eye when he had the opportunity to tease. He loved to tell stories in front of my grandmother about her and my grandfather. I'll never forget how he would tease my siblings' dates and spouses. It was never mean or hurtful; he always knew how far to go and how to do it with love. Dad could also take it well as he could dish it out.
There were the years and years of University of Utah football--Dad's alma mater--that just seemed to end in misery, with Dad frustrated, yelling, and pounding his open hand on the bedspread, and the inevitable gloating telephone call from his brother after every BYU win.(Aside: Of course, now when I do the same thing watching the Utes or the Utah Jazz, it has somehow become "just a game" and I'm told to settle down and just enjoy.) Dad eventually got his fair share of gloating telephone calls in . . . but Dad's brother wasn't nearly as good a sport about getting the calls as he was about making them! Then there were the late nights at the local college watching basketball, while eating smuggled-in popcorn and sodas out of Mother's big white purse--that Dad inevitably ended up carrying into the building.
Dad would also be the one to carry the purse into movies--it was a giant purse, usually filled with home-popped popcorn in supermarket produce sacks and illicit canned sodas. The movies? They were movies such as the interminable Gandhi, Chariots of Fire, and King David experiences. Dad was always trying to broaden my horizons like that--we never seemed to go to the
But Dad made up for those times by introducing me to the dean of science fiction, Robert Heinlein, and to Martin Caidin, and to David Morrell--authors whose names my classmates seldom, if ever, recognized. It was Dad to whom I could turn to discuss books, although it will forever baffle me how his taste in books could be so broad, from Burroughs to Heinlein, from Clancy to L'Amour, but he could never stomach for a moment anything fantasy-related. "Why should I read about something that never happened and never could happen?" he would ask me. "It's just fantasy." The argument would frustrate me and I would simply let it die. Someday I hope to find a fantasy novel that he will read and enjoy . . . Someday.
Dad was forever trying to bring my head out of the clouds. Somehow, it was always he who would assist me with my math homework. He would get so livid at my inability to retain the quadratic formula or simple mathematic definitions, while being able to recite trivia ad nauseam. Sometimes I wonder whether, subconsciously, I did it on purpose, just to harass him. Years later, when I first read David Copperfield, I felt that I could relate in some small way to the terror and anguish young David felt when reciting his lessons (or attempting to) to his step-father. While Dad was never that harsh or brutal, the circumstances were similar--I could never keep the figures in my mind, but would soon find myself thinking about the crack in the wall, or the book I was reading, or anything but my homework. Dad would just get more and more upset. He would pound the table and drill me until I cried, but somehow the numbers would slip away; the more he pounded, the faster the numbers would fly. Inevitably, there would come a point where the futility was apparent and one (or both) of us would flee the table to find sanctuary elsewhere.
I know Dad tried so hard because he loved me. I can see that now; with the benefit of time and the aid of fatherhood, I can see many things more clearly, and I'm grateful for the patience that he showed in trying to teach me. I am grateful for the love he showed in trying to teach me, and for the quiet pride--and the sometimes not-so-quiet pride--he would show at my accomplishments: the first time I ever directed the music in Priesthood Meeting; the first time I ever water-skied; the first time I trailered the boat by myself; the first time I ever backed the trailer down the ramp, or parked the van and trailer; high school, college, and law school graduations; the look--and tears--in his eyes as I boarded the plane for my mission.
However, the feelings of pride are not one-sided. Dad likely does not know the pride I have for him, and the esteem in which I hold him. For example: the years as a Gospel Doctrine teacher, the dedication, knowledge, and spirit he could bring to bear on a given Sunday; the feeling of seeing him lead the congregation in song for many years; the dedication to the service, and the endurance that the many hours of long flights and lonely vigils that flying involved; the firm, quiet testimony he would sometimes stand and bear; hearing my voice blend with his on Sunday, singing hymns; the strength and knowledge in his hands as he would perform some simple chore or repair; and the love with which he has always looked at Mother.
As time goes by, I regret more and more the years I have wasted when I could have been learning from Dad. All those years, complaining about yard work, or helping Dad with the car, plumbing, or other odd jobs; I could have learned so much. Instead, I did as little work as possible--always excusing it with schoolwork, or reading, or any available excuse. When I did help, it was grudgingly, never thinking for a moment that any of what I was being asked to do, or what I could have done, would ever benefit me in my life in any way. Putting it in print even now embarrasses me beyond belief. I remember Dad spending his time to come to summer camp with the Scout troop one year. I am mortified now to think of how embarrassed I was to have my Dad there, lecturing to my buddies and taking them to task. Or at family reunions when I was too concerned about my own activities and pleasure to listen to and learn from Dad the stories of my heritage. Or the plethora of times I was too annoyed to listen to the lectures and the lessons he was trying to teach me.
I see now that I spent too long blinded by my youth to recognize the storehouse of knowledge that is Dad. If I was ever to tell him that I consider him such, he would pass it off as vain praise, but to me it is a statement of truth. Dad worked so hard with me as a Scout to learn knot-tying; to this day, I have to struggle to remember a simple square knot--anything more complex is beyond my abilities. He struggled to get me to achieve my Citizenship merit badges; how much that knowledge could have helped me in school classes if I had bothered to learn it! (Aside: "Learn it" rather than "know it long enough to pass off the merit badge.") There is so much I could have learned from him as a child that would have enriched my life and helped me to grow. Instead, I was too "busy" and just didn't care--there would always be another time, after all. In retrospect, I wonder just how much my inattention and my uncaring attitude hurt Dad. I know that it did, and hope that I can make up for that injury someday, somehow.
As I look back, I am amazed at how Dad's work troubles never seemed to impact the family, at least not that I ever saw. He was able to separate his professional and family lives, and not let the stress of daily life interfere with his time with his wife and children. He was always able to provide a wonderful Christmas or birthday for us, and he always had a little something--usually a Matchbox car (in the old cardboard box) and a packet of airline peanuts--tucked away in his suitcase every time he came home from a trip. Those little gifts always made me feel so special, showing me that he had he had thought about me and missed me while he was away.
More recently, it has been a joy to grow closer to Dad as an adult friend. The rapport I feel and the snippets of telephone conversations we have back and forth while watching Everybody Loves Raymond or a particularly gritty NBA game ("Where was the foul?!") are priceless and important to me. So is being able to discuss the gospel with one another and to be taught by his example, or having someone there to whom I can turn for advice. Most importantly, as one who was not able to fully experience the joys of vital and vigorous grandparents, it is touching beyond words to see the expressions of love and the level of devotion that Dad shows my children. In some ways, I am able to imagine what it would have been like for me to have the opportunity to truly know my grandparents, and can vicariously enjoy the thrills, joys, and love that my children feel for their grandfather.
I can only hope that, one day, I can be as good a grandfather as he has been to the Horde. I only hope that I can be as good a father-in-law to my children's future spouses as he has been to his. I can only hope that I can be as good a father to my children as he has been to his.
I'm going to jealously guard every moment I have with him. Hoard every snippet of family lore I can gather. Glean every bit of life-knowledge from him that I can. Ask for his advice while I can get it.
Make him proud of me.
And love him while I can.
I love you, Dad.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
PewNews IQ
Wow.
I feel smart.
After taking this test, here are my results:
The stats on the test are more frighteningly revelatory rather than interesting. Unfortunately, giving you any examples would give away questions on the test. If you want to be frightened, when you finish the test take a look at the demographic breakdown question by question. (The one that jumped out at me was the comparison between questions 2, 5, and 7 for nearly every demographic.)
I feel smart.
After taking this test, here are my results:
Here's Your Score: You correctly answered 12 of the 12 possible questions along with approximately 3% of the public. You did better than 97% of the general public.The test itself is provided by the Pew Research Center, a self-described "nonpartisan 'fact tank' that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world."
The stats on the test are more frighteningly revelatory rather than interesting. Unfortunately, giving you any examples would give away questions on the test. If you want to be frightened, when you finish the test take a look at the demographic breakdown question by question. (The one that jumped out at me was the comparison between questions 2, 5, and 7 for nearly every demographic.)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Constructive Thoughts: Liberty, Pt. 2
When last we discussed this topic, I asked two questions:
(1) Has this nation dwindled since the days of our ancestors?
(2) In how many of these beliefs is America still solid?
Let's look at some possible answers.
Is there any question, any argument what each of us has to face in our daily lives?
Is there any doubt that this nation--at least many of the population--have dwindled?
Is the promise God gave our forebears still in force?
Consider these additional words from Gordon B. Hinckley:
Is our prosperity suffering as a result of our dwindling? We have been promised this consequence and I believe it is happening all around us. The evidence is everywhere and is incontrovertible. Even more frightening in today's environment is this idea, from the 29th chapter of the Book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon:
Now, I do not think we are quite at the point wehre the greater part of the people choose iniquity--at least, not actively choosing iniquity. Passively, however, may be another story altogether. There are a growing number of the citizenry who are content to sit back and be given everything at the trough. They are content to be told what to think, what to feel, what to believe. There are those who do not actively work to preserve their freedoms. The problem with this attitude, this attitude that is ever-increasing in prevalence among us, is this: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We did not pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." (Ronald Reagan)
Freedom is delicate, fragile, and is not a static thing. Maintaining our freedoms, preserving Liberty, requires us to be active, not passive. Back to the sermon that the Book of Mormon prophet, Lehi, was giving to his family, in 2 Nephi 1:
Notice that these are all active solutions; we are urged to awake, awake, awake, arise, awake, put on the armor, shake off the chains, come forth, arise. These are not passive solutions, they will not happen by themselves or with mere lip service. They require activity, substantial activity, on our part to be completed.
So, first, what does it mean to "shake off the chains"? It means to put away sin. And how do we accomplish this?
Second, what does it mean to "arise from the dust and be men"? Consider this statement from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: "A man is but a beast as he lives from day to day, eating and drinking, breathing and sleeping. It is only when he raises himself, and concerns himself with the immortal spirit within him, that he becomes in [very] truth a man." (The White Company)
Third: how does putting on the "armor of righteousness" help us "shake off the chains"? Remember that it takes commitment, self-discipline, and work to shake off the chains? Consider a suit of mail armor; it can weigh between twenty and thirty pounds, and that is only the chest, arms, and back. Well-tempered steel plate weighs upwards of forty-five pounds. There are a lot of straps and rivets to fasten; it takes a considerable effort to put on armor. If we are focused on THAT effort, where will there be room, time, energy, etc., to spend on sin?
These "chains which bind the children of men"--are we talking here just about physical chains? Physical liberty? No.
Are we talking about mental liberty? In part.
Are we talking about free will or free agency? In part, but not completely. "Free agency, as precious as it is, is not of itself the perfect liberty we seek." (Marion G. Romney, "The Perfect Law of Liberty," Ensign, Nov. 1981 at 43.)
Are we also, when we speak of the ideal of Liberty, talking about spiritual liberty? Of course. Remember Webster's definition of Liberty? Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind--and we added 'the spirit' to the mix.
Think of all the chains--physical, mental, emotional, spiritual--that plague our everyday lives. Think about the bad habits, think about the choices we have made that restrict our physical, emotional, and spiritual growth, mobility, and happiness. Think about the passive choices we have made, the things we have allowed to happen to us and around us that bind us just as soundly as our proactive choices. "These [bad] habits...have impeded our progress, may have made us forget who we are, may have destroyed our self-image, may have put our family life in jeopardy, and may have hindered our ability to serve our fellow beings and our God.... These chains weigh heavily on troubled hearts and souls. They relegate us to lives of no purpose or light." (Ashton, supra.)
Is it any wonder that we are urged to throw off these chains?
Is it any wonder that a people so shackled, so wrapped about with chains, could so easily lose their spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical liberty?
Is it any wonder that we, as a country--that our Prosperity is suffering?
We must each raise ourselves. We must concern ourselves with the immortal spirit within each of us. We must awake, arise, shake ourselves, and put on the armor of righteousness.
Interestingly, Webster's definition of "armor" includes the following comment: "In English statutes, [the term] armor is used for the whole apparatus of war; including offensive as well as defensive arms." Thus the counsel we have been given: "Wear the helmet of salvation, pick up the sword of truth, use the shield of faith, and accept the full protective coverings of the Lord." (Carlos E. Asay, "Be Men!" Ensign, May 1992 at 40.) All of these things make up the armor of righteousness, bout our defenses against the adversary and the offensive tools we wield against his forces. Consider the admonitions we receive from Paul concerning the "armour of light," the "armour of righteousness," and the "armour of God." Joseph Smith discussed the "whole armor" in modern revelation.
In this battle for Liberty, the whole armor is important; we must have and use all of the defensive and offensive tools and protections that we have at our disposal. "Righteous living is a shield, a protector, an insulation, a strength, a power...." (Ashton, supra.) Consider this thought: "A Democracy requires men and women to be agents unto themselves to defend their freedom. When a democracy collapses, it is because the individuals and families are dropping their arms." (Charles Didier, "Liberty," New Era, Jul. 1986 at 4.)
Liberty. Freedom. Precious, sacred gifts given to us by our God.
How sacred a gift is freedom? We obtain freedom when we learn and obey the law of Christ, which is our primary purpose in mortality." (Romney, supra.)
That's big time, folks.
Don't forget, though.... Once we learn it and find Liberty, we must keep it, we must keep from dwindling, we must keep away from the chains. We must help others learn it, find it, keep it, keep from dwindling and keep away from the chains. "Our most important need as defenders of liberty is to know what true liberty is, to teach it, to profess it, and to testify of it." (Didier, supra.)
You know, I'm reminded of the words of the Lord to Moses: PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF. Many around us know of no way to escape their bonds. Many may not know they are enslaved. Again, I'm talking about Liberty on all levels: physical, mental, spiritual.
The adversary, however, cannot hold someone if they use the keys they have been given. And is it not our duty--those of us who hold our Freedom and Liberty dear, those of us who know of the keys and how to use them to be free--is it not OUR duty to proclaim liberty--Liberty--throughout all the land--and all the world--to all the inhabitants thereof?
I have stood on that bridge, watched the dark stream pass. I have witnessed the rise of an April mist, which drifted and covered that green bank. While I did so, my mind turned to the sacredness of the spot, one of the birthplaces of freedom in the world, a Fount of Liberty, if you will.
This poem stands as a memorial to those farmers--the Minutemen--who took up arms in defense of their freedoms.
We have a chance to be modern-day Minutemen, to allow others to hear once again that shot heard 'round the world. We also have a chance to share with them the blessed sound--the Gospel. Both lead to freedom.
Both lead to liberty.
To Liberty.
(1) Has this nation dwindled since the days of our ancestors?
(2) In how many of these beliefs is America still solid?
Let's look at some possible answers.
Today we face challenges we have scarcely known in the past. We have come through wars, both civil and international, with victory and found peace. Now we are a people of contention, with strident and accusatory voices heard in argument across the nation.... Our spiritual power is sapped by a floodtide of pornography, by a debilitating epidemic of the use of narcotics and drugs that destroy both body and mind.
We are forgetting God, whose commandments we have put aside and obey not. In all too many ways we have substituted human sophistry for the wisdom of the Almighty.
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "America Must Look to God," Address at Provo, Utah’s "America’s Freedom Festival" (June 26, 1988), in The Spirit of America 29, 32-35 (Bookcraft 1998).
Is there any question, any argument what each of us has to face in our daily lives?
Is there any doubt that this nation--at least many of the population--have dwindled?
Is the promise God gave our forebears still in force?
Consider these additional words from Gordon B. Hinckley:
Can we expect peace and prosperity, harmony and goodwill while turning our backs on the source of our strength?
....
An acknowledgment of the Almighty and a return to the teachings of God will do more than all else to keep our ship of state on a steady course as she sails into the third century of nationhood. Here is the answer to the conflicts that beset us. Here is the answer to the evils of pornography, abortion, drugs, and the squandering of our resources on evil pursuits.... Here is the answer to tawdry politics that place selfish interest above the common good.... [T]he strength and prosperity of the nation will not be found in her resources or her industries unless also her pulpits are aflame with righteousness and her people bow in reverence before the Creator and Ruler of the universe.
....
Let the pulpits of all churches ring with righteousness. Let people everywhere bow in reverence before the Almighty, who is our one true strength. Let us look inward and adjust our priorities and standards. Let us look outward in the spirit of the Golden Rule. If we will do so in significant numbers across the land something marvelous will begin to happen.Id.
Is our prosperity suffering as a result of our dwindling? We have been promised this consequence and I believe it is happening all around us. The evidence is everywhere and is incontrovertible. Even more frightening in today's environment is this idea, from the 29th chapter of the Book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon:
26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law——to do your business by the voice of the people.
27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.
Now, I do not think we are quite at the point wehre the greater part of the people choose iniquity--at least, not actively choosing iniquity. Passively, however, may be another story altogether. There are a growing number of the citizenry who are content to sit back and be given everything at the trough. They are content to be told what to think, what to feel, what to believe. There are those who do not actively work to preserve their freedoms. The problem with this attitude, this attitude that is ever-increasing in prevalence among us, is this: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We did not pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." (Ronald Reagan)
Freedom is delicate, fragile, and is not a static thing. Maintaining our freedoms, preserving Liberty, requires us to be active, not passive. Back to the sermon that the Book of Mormon prophet, Lehi, was giving to his family, in 2 Nephi 1:
13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful cchains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal dgulf of misery and woe.
14 Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth.
. . . .
21 And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;
. . . .
23 Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.
Notice that these are all active solutions; we are urged to awake, awake, awake, arise, awake, put on the armor, shake off the chains, come forth, arise. These are not passive solutions, they will not happen by themselves or with mere lip service. They require activity, substantial activity, on our part to be completed.
So, first, what does it mean to "shake off the chains"? It means to put away sin. And how do we accomplish this?
"Shaking off restrictive chains requires action. They cannot be wished away. A declaration will never break chains. It requires commitment, self-discipline, and work.... These chains cannot be broken by those who live in lust and self-deceit. They can only be broken by people who are willing to change...to give up some behavior or habits that [may] have been very important to us in the past." (Marvin J. Ashton, "Shake Off the Chains with Which Ye Are Bound," Ensign, Nov. 1986 at 13.)
Second, what does it mean to "arise from the dust and be men"? Consider this statement from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: "A man is but a beast as he lives from day to day, eating and drinking, breathing and sleeping. It is only when he raises himself, and concerns himself with the immortal spirit within him, that he becomes in [very] truth a man." (The White Company)
Third: how does putting on the "armor of righteousness" help us "shake off the chains"? Remember that it takes commitment, self-discipline, and work to shake off the chains? Consider a suit of mail armor; it can weigh between twenty and thirty pounds, and that is only the chest, arms, and back. Well-tempered steel plate weighs upwards of forty-five pounds. There are a lot of straps and rivets to fasten; it takes a considerable effort to put on armor. If we are focused on THAT effort, where will there be room, time, energy, etc., to spend on sin?
These "chains which bind the children of men"--are we talking here just about physical chains? Physical liberty? No.
Are we talking about mental liberty? In part.
Are we talking about free will or free agency? In part, but not completely. "Free agency, as precious as it is, is not of itself the perfect liberty we seek." (Marion G. Romney, "The Perfect Law of Liberty," Ensign, Nov. 1981 at 43.)
Are we also, when we speak of the ideal of Liberty, talking about spiritual liberty? Of course. Remember Webster's definition of Liberty? Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind--and we added 'the spirit' to the mix.
Think of all the chains--physical, mental, emotional, spiritual--that plague our everyday lives. Think about the bad habits, think about the choices we have made that restrict our physical, emotional, and spiritual growth, mobility, and happiness. Think about the passive choices we have made, the things we have allowed to happen to us and around us that bind us just as soundly as our proactive choices. "These [bad] habits...have impeded our progress, may have made us forget who we are, may have destroyed our self-image, may have put our family life in jeopardy, and may have hindered our ability to serve our fellow beings and our God.... These chains weigh heavily on troubled hearts and souls. They relegate us to lives of no purpose or light." (Ashton, supra.)
Is it any wonder that we are urged to throw off these chains?
Is it any wonder that a people so shackled, so wrapped about with chains, could so easily lose their spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical liberty?
Is it any wonder that we, as a country--that our Prosperity is suffering?
We must each raise ourselves. We must concern ourselves with the immortal spirit within each of us. We must awake, arise, shake ourselves, and put on the armor of righteousness.
Interestingly, Webster's definition of "armor" includes the following comment: "In English statutes, [the term] armor is used for the whole apparatus of war; including offensive as well as defensive arms." Thus the counsel we have been given: "Wear the helmet of salvation, pick up the sword of truth, use the shield of faith, and accept the full protective coverings of the Lord." (Carlos E. Asay, "Be Men!" Ensign, May 1992 at 40.) All of these things make up the armor of righteousness, bout our defenses against the adversary and the offensive tools we wield against his forces. Consider the admonitions we receive from Paul concerning the "armour of light," the "armour of righteousness," and the "armour of God." Joseph Smith discussed the "whole armor" in modern revelation.
In this battle for Liberty, the whole armor is important; we must have and use all of the defensive and offensive tools and protections that we have at our disposal. "Righteous living is a shield, a protector, an insulation, a strength, a power...." (Ashton, supra.) Consider this thought: "A Democracy requires men and women to be agents unto themselves to defend their freedom. When a democracy collapses, it is because the individuals and families are dropping their arms." (Charles Didier, "Liberty," New Era, Jul. 1986 at 4.)
Liberty. Freedom. Precious, sacred gifts given to us by our God.
"Freedom...obtained...by obedience to the law of Christ--is freedom of the sould, the highest form of liberty. And the most glorious thing about it is that it is within the reach of every one of us, regardless of what people about us, or even nations, do. All we have to do is learn the law of Christ and obey it. To learn it and obey it is the primary purpose of every soul's mortal life."
How sacred a gift is freedom? We obtain freedom when we learn and obey the law of Christ, which is our primary purpose in mortality." (Romney, supra.)
That's big time, folks.
Don't forget, though.... Once we learn it and find Liberty, we must keep it, we must keep from dwindling, we must keep away from the chains. We must help others learn it, find it, keep it, keep from dwindling and keep away from the chains. "Our most important need as defenders of liberty is to know what true liberty is, to teach it, to profess it, and to testify of it." (Didier, supra.)
You know, I'm reminded of the words of the Lord to Moses: PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF. Many around us know of no way to escape their bonds. Many may not know they are enslaved. Again, I'm talking about Liberty on all levels: physical, mental, spiritual.
The adversary, however, cannot hold someone if they use the keys they have been given. And is it not our duty--those of us who hold our Freedom and Liberty dear, those of us who know of the keys and how to use them to be free--is it not OUR duty to proclaim liberty--Liberty--throughout all the land--and all the world--to all the inhabitants thereof?
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.
The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream that seaward creeps.
On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deeds redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Concord Hymn")
I have stood on that bridge, watched the dark stream pass. I have witnessed the rise of an April mist, which drifted and covered that green bank. While I did so, my mind turned to the sacredness of the spot, one of the birthplaces of freedom in the world, a Fount of Liberty, if you will.
This poem stands as a memorial to those farmers--the Minutemen--who took up arms in defense of their freedoms.
We have a chance to be modern-day Minutemen, to allow others to hear once again that shot heard 'round the world. We also have a chance to share with them the blessed sound--the Gospel. Both lead to freedom.
Both lead to liberty.
To Liberty.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Big Outer-Spacey Sucking Hole Thing
Thanks to The Spirit of the Law for this little tidbit.
The little tidbit that broke me away from trying to reconstruct some missing/damaged computer files...which was what I was doing instead of preparing some Motions to file with the Court.
The little tidbit about Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price decrying a white Commissioner's use of the term "black hole" to describe an area where things enter and vanish, never to be seen again. Commisioner Price, as well as a Judge who was present--and also took offense at the scientific term--are both "racially diverse."
Instead of completing my self-appointed tasks, I'm pulled away to marvel at the Texas-sized politically-correct idiocy the story represents.
Oops. Maybe I can't say "Texas-sized" any longer.
Maybe that's racially-insensitive too.
You see, I have to say "racially diverse" because apparently the adjective "black" is racially insensitive. I refuse to hyphenate people, so I'm left with "racially diverse."
So you see my dilemma with "Texas-sized." What if one of my readers is shorter than average and is from Texas? What if they are unusually slender and are from Texas? Is using the reference "Texas-sized" implying that everything from Texas is abnormally large and therefore discriminatory to the unusually small (or normal) Texan?
I won't even talk about the "Texas-sized can of whoop" that could be opened up on me. Even if it's not my fault no-one has ever heard of a "Rhode Island-sized can of whoop."
That would be just plain silly, after all.
Oops. I did it again. I'm being insensitive about the fact that Rhode Island is so small.
Darn it.
I have a solution.
Let's introduce legislation in Washington, D.C. that bans the use of the adjective.
That pesky, evil adjective. That part of speech that has caused--and continues to cause--so much trouble in the world.
Think about it... no "black." No "white." No "yellow," "brown," "green," or "safflower."
Of course, Crayola would go out of business: Not only is "Indian Red" out of the question, "Red" itself is out. We couldn't even reduce it to one crayon in a box, because who would decide what color it would be. Even if Crayola started to market those incredibly stupid pencils that have six or eight different colors all mixed together it still wouldn't work. After all, who gets to tell blue-violet that they didn't make the cut.
That would be insensitive to all the blue-violets out there.
No more "canary yellow"...or even "yellow."
You would, of course, have to watch out for certain nouns as well. "Whale" comes to mind, as does "New Yorker," "Californian," "Nerd," and "Geek." (Dang. Those last two mean I can't even call myself that, for fear of offending not just myself, but someone else who may be offended that I call myself such or that I consider myself in their same demographic.
No more "four-eyes," "brace-face," or "metal-mouth" that would have made my junior high school days much better. But on the flip side, you lose "spicy," "fiery," and "delicious"--all of which makes a trip to the Chinese, Thai, or Mexican restaurants a bit more bland. (Oops. I've labeled the restaurants; I can't do that. Neither can I use "bland.")
While it may be good, at first glance, to lose "greasy" as in "greasy spoon," remember how much you like a good greasy hamburger, or greasy fries.
If we lose "black hole" consider how many science texts have to be changed. You could only refer to them as "holes" which may take a little getting used to; what do you do, however, with "red dwarfs" or "white giants"? We lose "red" and "white" but also "dwarfs" and "giants."
Speaking of giants, the Jolly Green Giant could be neither "jolly," "green," or "giant." And don't even get me started on the creepy little "Niblet."
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price also says that "angel food cake" and "devil's food cake" are racist. If so, what do we do about cheesecake? We can't describe it with "cheese" and even "cake" is questionable, as in "A piece of cake." That also does in pie, as in "Easy as pie." What if pie-ists and cake-ists don't like being described as easy or simple?
Well, that's O.K., because we won't have "easy" or "simple" either.
Commissioner Price also complains about "black sheep." I agree.... Have you ever thought about how those poor sheep feel being compared to your cousin Harold? Sheesh.
If, as Commissioner Price demands, we must all be more careful about what we say, there are going to be a lot of quiet people. Which would make a certain segment of our society much happier, as they won't have anyone who dares to oppose them.
I think I'm gonna pick up my phone and call my Congressman. We've got to do something about all this labelingcrap, garbage, err... stuff.
Hold on.... Maybe "stuff" is also--somehow--insensitive.
Anyway, I'll call my Congressman (hold on, is THAT a description? It could be taken as a derogatory term.) Ahem. I'm going to call myCongressman Congressperson Representative and suggest the legislation. On second thought, however, we may as well make it a Constitutional Amendment.
Whoops. "Constitutional" will have to go too.
The little tidbit that broke me away from trying to reconstruct some missing/damaged computer files...which was what I was doing instead of preparing some Motions to file with the Court.
The little tidbit about Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price decrying a white Commissioner's use of the term "black hole" to describe an area where things enter and vanish, never to be seen again. Commisioner Price, as well as a Judge who was present--and also took offense at the scientific term--are both "racially diverse."
Instead of completing my self-appointed tasks, I'm pulled away to marvel at the Texas-sized politically-correct idiocy the story represents.
Oops. Maybe I can't say "Texas-sized" any longer.
Maybe that's racially-insensitive too.
You see, I have to say "racially diverse" because apparently the adjective "black" is racially insensitive. I refuse to hyphenate people, so I'm left with "racially diverse."
So you see my dilemma with "Texas-sized." What if one of my readers is shorter than average and is from Texas? What if they are unusually slender and are from Texas? Is using the reference "Texas-sized" implying that everything from Texas is abnormally large and therefore discriminatory to the unusually small (or normal) Texan?
I won't even talk about the "Texas-sized can of whoop" that could be opened up on me. Even if it's not my fault no-one has ever heard of a "Rhode Island-sized can of whoop."
That would be just plain silly, after all.
Oops. I did it again. I'm being insensitive about the fact that Rhode Island is so small.
Darn it.
I have a solution.
Let's introduce legislation in Washington, D.C. that bans the use of the adjective.
That pesky, evil adjective. That part of speech that has caused--and continues to cause--so much trouble in the world.
Think about it... no "black." No "white." No "yellow," "brown," "green," or "safflower."
Of course, Crayola would go out of business: Not only is "Indian Red" out of the question, "Red" itself is out. We couldn't even reduce it to one crayon in a box, because who would decide what color it would be. Even if Crayola started to market those incredibly stupid pencils that have six or eight different colors all mixed together it still wouldn't work. After all, who gets to tell blue-violet that they didn't make the cut.
That would be insensitive to all the blue-violets out there.
No more "canary yellow"...or even "yellow."
You would, of course, have to watch out for certain nouns as well. "Whale" comes to mind, as does "New Yorker," "Californian," "Nerd," and "Geek." (Dang. Those last two mean I can't even call myself that, for fear of offending not just myself, but someone else who may be offended that I call myself such or that I consider myself in their same demographic.
No more "four-eyes," "brace-face," or "metal-mouth" that would have made my junior high school days much better. But on the flip side, you lose "spicy," "fiery," and "delicious"--all of which makes a trip to the Chinese, Thai, or Mexican restaurants a bit more bland. (Oops. I've labeled the restaurants; I can't do that. Neither can I use "bland.")
While it may be good, at first glance, to lose "greasy" as in "greasy spoon," remember how much you like a good greasy hamburger, or greasy fries.
If we lose "black hole" consider how many science texts have to be changed. You could only refer to them as "holes" which may take a little getting used to; what do you do, however, with "red dwarfs" or "white giants"? We lose "red" and "white" but also "dwarfs" and "giants."
Speaking of giants, the Jolly Green Giant could be neither "jolly," "green," or "giant." And don't even get me started on the creepy little "Niblet."
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price also says that "angel food cake" and "devil's food cake" are racist. If so, what do we do about cheesecake? We can't describe it with "cheese" and even "cake" is questionable, as in "A piece of cake." That also does in pie, as in "Easy as pie." What if pie-ists and cake-ists don't like being described as easy or simple?
Well, that's O.K., because we won't have "easy" or "simple" either.
Commissioner Price also complains about "black sheep." I agree.... Have you ever thought about how those poor sheep feel being compared to your cousin Harold? Sheesh.
If, as Commissioner Price demands, we must all be more careful about what we say, there are going to be a lot of quiet people. Which would make a certain segment of our society much happier, as they won't have anyone who dares to oppose them.
I think I'm gonna pick up my phone and call my Congressman. We've got to do something about all this labeling
Hold on.... Maybe "stuff" is also--somehow--insensitive.
Anyway, I'll call my Congressman (hold on, is THAT a description? It could be taken as a derogatory term.) Ahem. I'm going to call my
Amendment XXVIII:
The right of the people to be secure in their self-esteem, self-image, self-regard, and individual, personal sensitivities, against unreasonable labeling and description, shall not be violated, and no adjectives or descriptions shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly referencing the exact characteristic or personality trait to be described, and the persons able to employ such description.
Whoops. "Constitutional" will have to go too.
Technical Difficulties. Please stand by....
OK.
Due to a number of technical difficulties, including two (2) failed flash drives, crappy home DSL service, and semi-restricted access from work, I have:
(a) lost my next lecture on Liberty;
(b) lost my vacation notes; and
(c) may have lost my vacation pictures.
Therefore, I will be somewhat delayed in getting my next post up. Please keep checking back, though, as I am determined to have a post for you early this week.
Thanks for understanding.
--Iggy
Due to a number of technical difficulties, including two (2) failed flash drives, crappy home DSL service, and semi-restricted access from work, I have:
(a) lost my next lecture on Liberty;
(b) lost my vacation notes; and
(c) may have lost my vacation pictures.
Therefore, I will be somewhat delayed in getting my next post up. Please keep checking back, though, as I am determined to have a post for you early this week.
Thanks for understanding.
--Iggy
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Back from vacation!
I'm back from vacation and suddenly realized that I still need to finish my lecture on Liberty. While I'm working on that and a vacation report, take some time and check out this video.
Chances are you've seen it (or an earlier version) if you've been around the Internet the past few months. It's odd, and possibly a little bit annoying.
It won't stick in your head like Numa Numa and it won't have you laughing out loud.
....but something about it.... Just. Feels. Good.
Enjoy.
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
Chances are you've seen it (or an earlier version) if you've been around the Internet the past few months. It's odd, and possibly a little bit annoying.
It won't stick in your head like Numa Numa and it won't have you laughing out loud.
....but something about it.... Just. Feels. Good.
Enjoy.
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Book Review: Shaman's Crossing
Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb.
I tried to like it. Really I did. I wanted to enjoy it, immerse myself into the world.
Instead, every page felt like a chore, every paragraph took great effort to work through.
Robin Hobb captivated me with her Farseer Trilogy. Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin’s Quest--I loved them. I liked the characters, I felt as if I knew the world, had walked the streets, smelled the smells, heard the sounds.
The world of the Soldier Son Trilogy felt completely alien. It felt false to me.
It’s not that she cannot write; she can, and does it well. It was the alien nature of the world and the pacing. I could not see where she was going with the characters. I did not like the characters and I certainly was not vested in them.
I did not care about them one whit.
Jerky.
That’s the feeling for which I’ve been searching: jerky. It felt jerky. Not disjointed--well, maybe a bit--but just plain jerky. Like a 15-year-old boy trying to drive a car with a racing clutch. The story jerked and halted in fits and starts until I just could not take it any longer.
I finally rescued my bookmark from the middle of the book and the book went back on the “library book” shelves in the front room. If I run out of reading material before it is due back to the library, who knows? I may pick it up again and plow through to the end. I may even find something entirely surprising and enjoyable in the process.
But saying that I ran out of reading material? That’s like saying the Rocky Mountains ran out of rocks.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ll try Ms. Hobb again. I can’t wait to start the Tawny Man Trilogy. Plus, the Farseer Trilogy has made it onto the “I liked it when I read it from the public library so I’m willing to spend money on buying the book and adding it to my own shelves” list.
Maybe I'll try again in a year or so to pick up Shaman's Crossing again. Maybe I just read myself out of the mood.
Maybe.
But it'll be a while.
I tried to like it. Really I did. I wanted to enjoy it, immerse myself into the world.
Instead, every page felt like a chore, every paragraph took great effort to work through.
Robin Hobb captivated me with her Farseer Trilogy. Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin’s Quest--I loved them. I liked the characters, I felt as if I knew the world, had walked the streets, smelled the smells, heard the sounds.
The world of the Soldier Son Trilogy felt completely alien. It felt false to me.
It’s not that she cannot write; she can, and does it well. It was the alien nature of the world and the pacing. I could not see where she was going with the characters. I did not like the characters and I certainly was not vested in them.
I did not care about them one whit.
Jerky.
That’s the feeling for which I’ve been searching: jerky. It felt jerky. Not disjointed--well, maybe a bit--but just plain jerky. Like a 15-year-old boy trying to drive a car with a racing clutch. The story jerked and halted in fits and starts until I just could not take it any longer.
I finally rescued my bookmark from the middle of the book and the book went back on the “library book” shelves in the front room. If I run out of reading material before it is due back to the library, who knows? I may pick it up again and plow through to the end. I may even find something entirely surprising and enjoyable in the process.
But saying that I ran out of reading material? That’s like saying the Rocky Mountains ran out of rocks.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ll try Ms. Hobb again. I can’t wait to start the Tawny Man Trilogy. Plus, the Farseer Trilogy has made it onto the “I liked it when I read it from the public library so I’m willing to spend money on buying the book and adding it to my own shelves” list.
Maybe I'll try again in a year or so to pick up Shaman's Crossing again. Maybe I just read myself out of the mood.
Maybe.
But it'll be a while.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Constructive Thoughts: Liberty
I must warn you up front: as those of you who know me well understand, this is a topic near and dear to me. This will likely be a long post--and will probably take up two posts. Buckle up.
Liberty: "Since the beginning of the world, many have talked, written, suffered, cried, and died for liberty. Artists paint it, sculptors sculpt it, philosophers describe it, dictators and tyrants suppress it, and prophets teach it." (Charles Didier, "Liberty," New Era, Jul. 1986 at 4.) But what is liberty?
The 1828 edition of Webster's Dictionary defines liberty as: "Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions." We could add to that definition, saying the soul is at liberty by obedience to the law of Christ, and "One who enjoys such liberty is, in the words of Jesus, ‘free indeed.' He is possessed of perfect liberty." (Marion G. Romney, "The Perfect Law of Liberty," Ensign, Nov. 1981 at 43 (quoting John 8:36).)
In the Book of Second Nephi in the Book of Mormon, the Prophet Lehi and his family have arrived in a new land, a promised land, which modern revelation teaches us is the Americas. As the book begins, Nephi has taught the colonists, and exhorted them, using the words of the Prophet Isaiah, which scriptures they have brought with them in their records. Lehi, their patriarch and living prophet, speaks to the group regarding their behavior, the land, and the promises God has made to them. Lehi is nearing the end of his days and takes this opportunity to teach and counsel his family. He tells them that "we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord." (2 Nephi 1:5)
Aside: That passage has always reminded me of the words of the poet Emma Lazurus: "Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . . ."
Father Lehi adds further emphasis to this point, saying: "Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord." (2 Nephi 1:6) Truly a promised land; there must surely be a requirement, a stewardship, imposed upon inhabitants of a promised land.
True in this case: the requirement which must be met to prosper in this promised land is a message of great importance. Lehi restates the requirement five times in this chapter alone. It is a message of great importance not only to Lehi's family, but also a message of great importance to our day concerning our righteousness and our prosperity in the land. What is this requirement? Let's take a look at several verses in 2 Nephi:
Modern revelation tells us that "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (D&C 130:20-21) In other words, where we have received a promise from God, all we need is to obey His commandments concerning that promise in order to receive a fulfillment of that promise.
What was required of Lehi's family? To keep the commandments.
What was the promised reward? They shall be blessed upon the land, never be brought unto captivity, they would prosper in the land, etc.
And all that was required was to keep His commandments. Put another way, only iniquity would destroy their prosperity.
In yet other words, iniquity destroys liberty.
How important is this idea, that libery, prosperity, and observance of the Lord's commandments are all interrelated? Consider the following quotations: (all emphases in the originals).
All of these thoughts share the same idea: "Freedom is not an absolute concept, but is a kind of balance between two extremes. One extreme is the lawlessness and disorder of anarchy, which is the total absence or suspension of government the other extreme is the absence of liberty resulting from complete control of the people by the government. This balance, called freedom, can exist only as long as the people involved, by their own inward motivation, act righteously enough for it to continue." (Jerome Horowitz, The Elders of Israel and the Constitution at 27 (2d ed. 1970) (emphasis added).)
Of course, freedom is not the only promise from God found in these passages. There is another promise, a more dire promise. In verse 10 we are told that those that dwindle in unbelief and reject the true Messiah shall have the judgments of God rest upon him. Look again at the "areas of dwindling" listed in that verse. Those who dwindle lose their belief in the following: the creation by God of the earth and all men; the scriptural record of the 'great and marvelous works of the Lord'; the possibility and ability to do things by faith; the Commandments; the infinite goodness of the Lord; and finally, the Messiah.
Has this nation dwindled since the days of our ancestors?
In how many of these beliefs is America still solid?
Think about that; I'll be back with more soon.
Liberty: "Since the beginning of the world, many have talked, written, suffered, cried, and died for liberty. Artists paint it, sculptors sculpt it, philosophers describe it, dictators and tyrants suppress it, and prophets teach it." (Charles Didier, "Liberty," New Era, Jul. 1986 at 4.) But what is liberty?
The 1828 edition of Webster's Dictionary defines liberty as: "Freedom from restraint, in a general sense, and applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty, when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty, when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions or volitions." We could add to that definition, saying the soul is at liberty by obedience to the law of Christ, and "One who enjoys such liberty is, in the words of Jesus, ‘free indeed.' He is possessed of perfect liberty." (Marion G. Romney, "The Perfect Law of Liberty," Ensign, Nov. 1981 at 43 (quoting John 8:36).)
In the Book of Second Nephi in the Book of Mormon, the Prophet Lehi and his family have arrived in a new land, a promised land, which modern revelation teaches us is the Americas. As the book begins, Nephi has taught the colonists, and exhorted them, using the words of the Prophet Isaiah, which scriptures they have brought with them in their records. Lehi, their patriarch and living prophet, speaks to the group regarding their behavior, the land, and the promises God has made to them. Lehi is nearing the end of his days and takes this opportunity to teach and counsel his family. He tells them that "we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord." (2 Nephi 1:5)
Aside: That passage has always reminded me of the words of the poet Emma Lazurus: "Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . . ."
Father Lehi adds further emphasis to this point, saying: "Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord." (2 Nephi 1:6) Truly a promised land; there must surely be a requirement, a stewardship, imposed upon inhabitants of a promised land.
True in this case: the requirement which must be met to prosper in this promised land is a message of great importance. Lehi restates the requirement five times in this chapter alone. It is a message of great importance not only to Lehi's family, but also a message of great importance to our day concerning our righteousness and our prosperity in the land. What is this requirement? Let's take a look at several verses in 2 Nephi:
10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.Then go back a few verses to verse 7:
7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.Then jumping ahead to verse 20: "And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence." And finally to verse 31:
. . . .
9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
31 Wherefore, because thou hast been faithful thy seed shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in prosperity long upon the face of this land; and nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or disturb their prosperity upon the face of this land forever.Careful study of these Book of Mormon verses reveal many other Book of Mormon references to this covenant with those in this promised land. This concept appears to be one of those prophetic utterances that was preserved in the hearts and writings of the people from generation to generation. The Psalmist, for example, said it this way: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD." (Psalms 33:12.)
Modern revelation tells us that "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (D&C 130:20-21) In other words, where we have received a promise from God, all we need is to obey His commandments concerning that promise in order to receive a fulfillment of that promise.
What was required of Lehi's family? To keep the commandments.
What was the promised reward? They shall be blessed upon the land, never be brought unto captivity, they would prosper in the land, etc.
And all that was required was to keep His commandments. Put another way, only iniquity would destroy their prosperity.
In yet other words, iniquity destroys liberty.
How important is this idea, that libery, prosperity, and observance of the Lord's commandments are all interrelated? Consider the following quotations: (all emphases in the originals).
- "Of all the . . . habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. . . . Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. . . . it is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. . . . Who . . . can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?" --George Washington
- "Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt." --Samuel Adams
- "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --John Adams
- "I agree to this Constitution . . . and I believe, further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other." --Benjamin Franklin
- "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious they have more need of masters." --Benjamin Franklin
- "Statesmen . . . may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater Measure, than they have it now, they may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty." --John Adams
All of these thoughts share the same idea: "Freedom is not an absolute concept, but is a kind of balance between two extremes. One extreme is the lawlessness and disorder of anarchy, which is the total absence or suspension of government the other extreme is the absence of liberty resulting from complete control of the people by the government. This balance, called freedom, can exist only as long as the people involved, by their own inward motivation, act righteously enough for it to continue." (Jerome Horowitz, The Elders of Israel and the Constitution at 27 (2d ed. 1970) (emphasis added).)
Of course, freedom is not the only promise from God found in these passages. There is another promise, a more dire promise. In verse 10 we are told that those that dwindle in unbelief and reject the true Messiah shall have the judgments of God rest upon him. Look again at the "areas of dwindling" listed in that verse. Those who dwindle lose their belief in the following: the creation by God of the earth and all men; the scriptural record of the 'great and marvelous works of the Lord'; the possibility and ability to do things by faith; the Commandments; the infinite goodness of the Lord; and finally, the Messiah.
Has this nation dwindled since the days of our ancestors?
In how many of these beliefs is America still solid?
Think about that; I'll be back with more soon.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Bicycles and Benzes
For about a week now, I've been riding my bicycle to work. Saves on $4/gallon gasoline and gives me a little much-needed exercise.
Consider for a moment that I haven't been on a bicycle in nearly two years.
But you can just wheel the bike out of the garage, pump up the tires, and pick up right where you left off, right?
Right?!?
Yeah. Sure.
It makes for what I am sure is a comedic image to passers-by.
Dress clothes, big goofy helmet, metal pant-leg clips, dress shoes.
Don't forget the tie flapping in the breeze.
Consistent, repeated riding puts you in tune with the rhythm of traffic. You keep in tune with your bike's idiosyncracies. It also lets you hone those little skills that you forget over time.
Little things like forgetting that while riding parallel to the curb and approaching a commercial driveway to swoop up onto the sidewalk, you can't just drift over the little lip at the end of the driveway.
Especially not while at a full-out sprinting pace.
Do you know what happens? Even with a thick, knobby mountain bike tire?
If the lip is just a tad too high, that wheel ain't goin' over. Not if you attempt a "drift"; at a greater than ten degree angle, perhaps.
Do you know what happens?
The tire decides it likes to stay on the gutter side of the driveway while all the other parts of the bicycle--including the rider--simply decide that they prefer to keep accelerating onto the sidewalk side of the driveway.
There's a reason they teach you to jump off a bicycle rather than ride it to the ground. Fortunately, I remembered and jumped. Rather, my muscles remembered and jumped for me.
Ouch.
Now my muscles are punishing me.
I will not even start to discuss the lobotomy that apparently occurs when an individual purchases a Mercedes Benz. I was almost taken out by a brand-new Mercedes sport-utility vehicle of some ilk just five minutes after the curb incident.
The guy was speeding out of an office parking lot.
He was looking to the right. Watching the traffic on the right.
He was turning right.
Do you see the problem here? Why are you watching the traffic in a lane of traffic in which you do not plan on driving?
He never even looked left. Never looked at the oncoming traffic, into which he was going to be merging.
Never even saw me.
At least, not until I had stood the bike on its front wheel trying to stop before he hit me.
All I got in return was an open mouth and a blank stare. No mouthed apology. Not even a friendly wave.
An open mouth and a blank stare.
It happened again about four minutes later with a completely different Mercedes, completely different driver. At least this time his wife yelled at him before he got to me.
The thing's a hood ornament, people. It ain't crosshairs.
Consider for a moment that I haven't been on a bicycle in nearly two years.
But you can just wheel the bike out of the garage, pump up the tires, and pick up right where you left off, right?
Right?!?
Yeah. Sure.
It makes for what I am sure is a comedic image to passers-by.
Dress clothes, big goofy helmet, metal pant-leg clips, dress shoes.
Don't forget the tie flapping in the breeze.
Consistent, repeated riding puts you in tune with the rhythm of traffic. You keep in tune with your bike's idiosyncracies. It also lets you hone those little skills that you forget over time.
Little things like forgetting that while riding parallel to the curb and approaching a commercial driveway to swoop up onto the sidewalk, you can't just drift over the little lip at the end of the driveway.
Especially not while at a full-out sprinting pace.
Do you know what happens? Even with a thick, knobby mountain bike tire?
If the lip is just a tad too high, that wheel ain't goin' over. Not if you attempt a "drift"; at a greater than ten degree angle, perhaps.
Do you know what happens?
The tire decides it likes to stay on the gutter side of the driveway while all the other parts of the bicycle--including the rider--simply decide that they prefer to keep accelerating onto the sidewalk side of the driveway.
There's a reason they teach you to jump off a bicycle rather than ride it to the ground. Fortunately, I remembered and jumped. Rather, my muscles remembered and jumped for me.
Ouch.
Now my muscles are punishing me.
I will not even start to discuss the lobotomy that apparently occurs when an individual purchases a Mercedes Benz. I was almost taken out by a brand-new Mercedes sport-utility vehicle of some ilk just five minutes after the curb incident.
The guy was speeding out of an office parking lot.
He was looking to the right. Watching the traffic on the right.
He was turning right.
Do you see the problem here? Why are you watching the traffic in a lane of traffic in which you do not plan on driving?
He never even looked left. Never looked at the oncoming traffic, into which he was going to be merging.
Never even saw me.
At least, not until I had stood the bike on its front wheel trying to stop before he hit me.
All I got in return was an open mouth and a blank stare. No mouthed apology. Not even a friendly wave.
An open mouth and a blank stare.
It happened again about four minutes later with a completely different Mercedes, completely different driver. At least this time his wife yelled at him before he got to me.
The thing's a hood ornament, people. It ain't crosshairs.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Constructive Thoughts: Who's Side?
Picture yourself in a large room, like a typical chapel, with three columns of pews, numerous rows. As I said, a typical chapel to be found in a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint ward building.
Picture yourself in this room, sitting about three rows from the front, center aisle, in the very center of the pew. This seat represents the “middle of the road,” spiritually-speaking. The area to your right represents all the good things that can be done in life. The area on your left represents the wrong things that can be done in life. The further to the right and left we go in the room, the better--or worse--those choices become.
Without turning your head, from where you are sitting, it would be difficult to see someone sitting on your immediate right and your immediate left. That difficulty becomes greater--approaching and possibly attaining impossibility as you reach the far ends of the side aisles--still on the third row--on either side of you.
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented a similar object lesson at a speech given at Brigham Young University some years ago. He gave the listeners the following explanation:
In other words, when we stand in the middle of the road, we can sometimes discern the immediate right and wrong. As the choices extend further out, however, it is sometimes difficult to discern the chain of choices before us. We may instinctively know what the ultimate result of our choices would be, but it is difficult sometimes to actually see them. Those on either side of us, however, can often see exactly what lays before us and may be able to see--better than we can, anyway--where our choices are leading us.
Those on either side of us can also influence our actions and affect the outcome of our decisions. They can affect for good or for ill.
There is a war going on, a very ancient war. The battlefields have grown and expanded. Wilford Woodruff, fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught: “Opposition to God and His Christ, opposition to light and truth has existed since the beginning to the present day. This is the warfare that commenced in heaven, that has existed through all time, and that will continue until the winding up scene, until He reigns whose right it is to reign, when He shall come in clouds of glory to reward every man according to the deeds done in the body.” (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff at 220.)
How is this battle fought? President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that the adversaries “have used every stratagem in that conflict. They’ve indulged in lying and deceit. They’ve employed money and wealth. They’ve tricked the minds of men. They’ve murdered and destroyed and engaged in every kind of evil practice to thwart the work of Christ.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “An Unending Conflict, A Victory Assured,” Ensign, June 2007 at 4.)
Can an individual remain neutral in this fight? No. In this eternal fight, every person is involved and affected. There can be no neutral ground. There is no spiritual Switzerland.
There are several reasons for this, which include: when a crucial task must be performed, neutrality by an able-bodied person is an aid and advantage to the enemy; neutrality renders comfort and assistance to the enemy; neutrality helps the enemy because they need not fight against the neutral; and neutrality also creates a lack of help that could have been given our side had the individual chosen a side. As Joshua instructed the Israelites, “choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15) and as Moses said to the multitude when he returned from the mount with the Commandments, “Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me.” (Exodus 32:26)
How do we get out of the middle of the road, then? One relatively-simple way is to read the Word of God. President Benson was a great proponent of the Book of Mormon, and the power that book holds. He said,
To paraphrase a political leader of our day, paraphrasing his secular words and applying them to the spiritual: the Lord works in plainness, in truth, and in goodness, we face an enemy that uses deception and cunning to destroy souls and then rejoice about it, they gloat. They bring only misery and spiritual death to the world, threatening every nation and civilization itself, striking from the shadows. We must be determined to fight this evil, and fight until we are rid of it.
One last point to remember: where Satan coerces and tricks, the Lord freely, openly invites all to come unto Him.
Everyone.
Picture yourself in this room, sitting about three rows from the front, center aisle, in the very center of the pew. This seat represents the “middle of the road,” spiritually-speaking. The area to your right represents all the good things that can be done in life. The area on your left represents the wrong things that can be done in life. The further to the right and left we go in the room, the better--or worse--those choices become.
Without turning your head, from where you are sitting, it would be difficult to see someone sitting on your immediate right and your immediate left. That difficulty becomes greater--approaching and possibly attaining impossibility as you reach the far ends of the side aisles--still on the third row--on either side of you.
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented a similar object lesson at a speech given at Brigham Young University some years ago. He gave the listeners the following explanation:
“In the middle, it is difficult to discern what is right and what is wrong. This middle area is where Satan works with righteous people, the twilight zone where you cannot clearly discern between what is good and what is bad. It is easy to become confused here. Live well within the wonderful area of good the Lord has defined, and you won’t have any problems with temptation. If you are not sure whether something is appropriate to look at, to listen to, to think about, or to do, then avoid it. You could be headed for one of Satan’s traps.” (Richard G. Scott, “Do What is Right,” Ensign, June 1997 at 51, 53-54.)
In other words, when we stand in the middle of the road, we can sometimes discern the immediate right and wrong. As the choices extend further out, however, it is sometimes difficult to discern the chain of choices before us. We may instinctively know what the ultimate result of our choices would be, but it is difficult sometimes to actually see them. Those on either side of us, however, can often see exactly what lays before us and may be able to see--better than we can, anyway--where our choices are leading us.
Those on either side of us can also influence our actions and affect the outcome of our decisions. They can affect for good or for ill.
There is a war going on, a very ancient war. The battlefields have grown and expanded. Wilford Woodruff, fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught: “Opposition to God and His Christ, opposition to light and truth has existed since the beginning to the present day. This is the warfare that commenced in heaven, that has existed through all time, and that will continue until the winding up scene, until He reigns whose right it is to reign, when He shall come in clouds of glory to reward every man according to the deeds done in the body.” (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff at 220.)
How is this battle fought? President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that the adversaries “have used every stratagem in that conflict. They’ve indulged in lying and deceit. They’ve employed money and wealth. They’ve tricked the minds of men. They’ve murdered and destroyed and engaged in every kind of evil practice to thwart the work of Christ.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “An Unending Conflict, A Victory Assured,” Ensign, June 2007 at 4.)
Can an individual remain neutral in this fight? No. In this eternal fight, every person is involved and affected. There can be no neutral ground. There is no spiritual Switzerland.
There are several reasons for this, which include: when a crucial task must be performed, neutrality by an able-bodied person is an aid and advantage to the enemy; neutrality renders comfort and assistance to the enemy; neutrality helps the enemy because they need not fight against the neutral; and neutrality also creates a lack of help that could have been given our side had the individual chosen a side. As Joshua instructed the Israelites, “choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15) and as Moses said to the multitude when he returned from the mount with the Commandments, “Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me.” (Exodus 32:26)
How do we get out of the middle of the road, then? One relatively-simple way is to read the Word of God. President Benson was a great proponent of the Book of Mormon, and the power that book holds. He said,
“It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path.” (Ezra Taft Benson, “The Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Jan. 1992, 2.)
To paraphrase a political leader of our day, paraphrasing his secular words and applying them to the spiritual: the Lord works in plainness, in truth, and in goodness, we face an enemy that uses deception and cunning to destroy souls and then rejoice about it, they gloat. They bring only misery and spiritual death to the world, threatening every nation and civilization itself, striking from the shadows. We must be determined to fight this evil, and fight until we are rid of it.
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
Now is the time to show.
We ask it fearlessly:
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
We wage no common war,
Cope with no common foe.
The enemy’s awake;
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
We serve the living God,
And want his foes to know
That, if but few, we’re great;
Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
We’re going on to win;
No fear must blanch the brow.
The Lord of Hosts is ours;
Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
. . . .
The pow’rs of earth and hell
In rage direct the blow
That’s aimed to crush the work;
Who's on the Lord's side? Who?
Truth, life, and liberty,
Freedom from death and woe,
Are stakes we’re fighting for;
Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?
(Hymns, "Who’s on the Lord’s Side?," no. 260
Text: Hannah Last Cornaby, 1822––1905
Music: Henry H. Russell, 1818––1900, alt.)
One last point to remember: where Satan coerces and tricks, the Lord freely, openly invites all to come unto Him.
Everyone.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Problems
I was all prepared to have my Sunday blog entry uploaded tonight. However, as I began to write it, I noticed that several of my recent posts were missing and some had some odd links.
In short, I have had to recreate and rebuild the entries since the 20th of May.
I hope I found them all. I feel bad, however. In making the fixes, I lost the one comment I have received since starting the blog. A reader named "Nitesh" was kind enough to leave positive feedback about my "National Humility" blog. I cannot even tell you from whence Nitesh was reading; I had two visitors at the same time from two different places. At any rate, thanks for the kind words, Nitesh--I hope you come back soon, as you promised!
So... While you're awaiting the newest Constructive Thoughts, please feel free to browse down through the next few entries: there may be something there you have not seen before.
Sorry for the inconvenience. And sorry for the oddities. I am still not sure what caused it.
Let me know if you see anything else odd.
Besides my opinions, my personality, and my writing, that is!
In short, I have had to recreate and rebuild the entries since the 20th of May.
I hope I found them all. I feel bad, however. In making the fixes, I lost the one comment I have received since starting the blog. A reader named "Nitesh" was kind enough to leave positive feedback about my "National Humility" blog. I cannot even tell you from whence Nitesh was reading; I had two visitors at the same time from two different places. At any rate, thanks for the kind words, Nitesh--I hope you come back soon, as you promised!
So... While you're awaiting the newest Constructive Thoughts, please feel free to browse down through the next few entries: there may be something there you have not seen before.
Sorry for the inconvenience. And sorry for the oddities. I am still not sure what caused it.
Let me know if you see anything else odd.
Besides my opinions, my personality, and my writing, that is!
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Prayers for the Senator
There are plenty of bad things I could say about Massachusetts Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy. I've been thinking about this for several weeks now.
I am not going to go there, however.
I have heard over the past few weeks talk-show hosts and talk-show listeners of various ilk, persuasion, and political leanings make constant reference to these things, and some have even made fun of the man.
But I refuse to follow in their footsteps.
Because of the brain tumor.
I am not--as others have--going to bring up any of the bad legislation, rumored questionable antics, or alleged scandalous personal issues the man has spawned over the years.
I am going to give him a pass on all that for a while.
Because of the brain tumor.
I have lost two uncles to cancer.
Another one has not much longer to live.
I have rarely agreed with anything Senator Kennedy has ever said, save for some of his positions on the so-called Bankruptcy Reform Act back in 2005.
But I am going to give him a pass this time.
Because of the brain tumor.
He is a human being, after all. The man has a family; a family who loves him. And I know a little bit about what his family is going through and what they must be thinking. What realizations they are having and eventualities they are coming to accept.
I have seen the pain, the physical ravages that this disease causes in the victim. I have seen the pain, the emotional ravages, the psychological storms, the spiritual questions that this disease causes in the victim's family.
The Honorable Edward Kennedy has, by all accounts, received a death sentence.
And that weighs a bit more heavily than partisan politics and disagreeable policies.
I do not know the man and he and his family will probably never know how I feel.
But all the same, I wish to send him and his family God's blessings and comfort. I hope for all the best for him. I truly wish him all the best and hope he has a speedy recovery. I'm going to include him in my prayers.
I hope his family has him around--to love and appreciate--just as long as they possibly can.
Because I know how they feel.
I am not going to go there, however.
I have heard over the past few weeks talk-show hosts and talk-show listeners of various ilk, persuasion, and political leanings make constant reference to these things, and some have even made fun of the man.
But I refuse to follow in their footsteps.
Because of the brain tumor.
I am not--as others have--going to bring up any of the bad legislation, rumored questionable antics, or alleged scandalous personal issues the man has spawned over the years.
I am going to give him a pass on all that for a while.
Because of the brain tumor.
I have lost two uncles to cancer.
Another one has not much longer to live.
I have rarely agreed with anything Senator Kennedy has ever said, save for some of his positions on the so-called Bankruptcy Reform Act back in 2005.
But I am going to give him a pass this time.
Because of the brain tumor.
He is a human being, after all. The man has a family; a family who loves him. And I know a little bit about what his family is going through and what they must be thinking. What realizations they are having and eventualities they are coming to accept.
I have seen the pain, the physical ravages that this disease causes in the victim. I have seen the pain, the emotional ravages, the psychological storms, the spiritual questions that this disease causes in the victim's family.
The Honorable Edward Kennedy has, by all accounts, received a death sentence.
And that weighs a bit more heavily than partisan politics and disagreeable policies.
I do not know the man and he and his family will probably never know how I feel.
But all the same, I wish to send him and his family God's blessings and comfort. I hope for all the best for him. I truly wish him all the best and hope he has a speedy recovery. I'm going to include him in my prayers.
I hope his family has him around--to love and appreciate--just as long as they possibly can.
Because I know how they feel.
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